Abstract
Background: COVID-19 has led to government enforced ‘lockdown’ in the UK severely limiting face-to-face patient interaction. Virtual consultations present a means for continued patient access to healthcare. Our aim was to evaluate the use of virtual consultations (VCons) during lockdown and their possible role in the future. Methods: An anonymous survey was disseminated to UK and European plastic surgeons via social media, email sharing and, via the EASAPS (European Association of Societies of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery) newsletter. Uptake of VCons, modality, effectiveness, safety and future utility were assessed. Results: 43 senior plastic surgeons responded to the survey. The majority of the respondents (97.7%) reported using VCons during COVID-19 lockdown, of which, 74.4% had no prior experience. Two thirds of surgeons utilised commercial platforms such as zoom, facetime and skype. 38.1% of respondents did not know about or were unsure about adequate encryption for healthcare use, and just under a half (47.6%) reported they were unaware of or lacking GDPR compliance. 97.6% say they are likely to use virtual consultations after lockdown.Conclusion: Virtual consultation have had a crucial role in patient care during UK lockdown. It is clear that they will serve as an adjunct to face-to-face consultation in the future. Further regulation is required to ensure platforms offer adequate safety and security measures and are compliant with relevant data protection laws.
The Role of Virtual Consultations in Plastic Surgery During COVID-19