scholarly journals Is Telemedicine Suited for Lower Extremity Pathologies? An Analysis of Non-Urgent Follow-Up in a Foot and Ankle Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011420S0034
Author(s):  
Wesley J. Manz ◽  
Rahul Goel ◽  
Omolola Fakunle ◽  
Sameh A. Labib ◽  
Jason T. Bariteau
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Continuous Data ◽  
Clinical Approach ◽  
Foot And Ankle ◽  
Office Visits ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Fracture Care ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Difference

Category: Other; Ankle; Hindfoot; Midfoot/Forefoot Introduction/Purpose: A lack of access to care is predictably associated with negative outcomes in foot and ankle surgery. Despite recent advances in telecommunication technologies, the field of orthopaedics has been slow to adopt these resources in offsetting barriers to care. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced departments to change their clinical approach, lending unprecedented opportunity to better understand how telehealth may bridge this care gap in foot and ankle practices. The purpose of this study was to assess patient-reported outcomes of telemedicine encounters, including comfort and patient satisfaction. Our hypothesis was that patients would be significantly less satisfied with telemedicine when compared to in-office appointments for all non-emergent visit types. Methods: Retrospective analysis of patients seen via telemedicine between April 13, 2020, to June 19, 2020, by one surgeon in the Emory Orthopedics Foot and Ankle department was conducted. Patients were contacted by one of the study authors via telephone to complete a questionnaire; satisfaction and other visit characteristics were assessed with a modified Likert scale from 1 to 5. Patients were designated as either ‘New’ or ‘Established’ based on whether or not they had completed an in-office clinic visit within the last year. Anatomy and pathology of disorder were determined by chief complaint and billing code. Patient demographics were recorded, and data were analyzed using paired and independent t-tests for parametric continuous data, Fisher’s exact and chi-square tests for non-continuous data. Results: 338 eligible patients were contacted via telephone, with 216 (63.9%) completing the telemedicine questionnaire. The patient cohort had an average age of 50.6 (19-84) years old and was 73.6% female (n=159). Overall mean satisfaction for telemedicine visits (4.69) was significantly lower than in-office visits (4.86) (p<0.001). In a subgroup analysis of patient satisfaction, patients seeking fracture care had significantly higher telemedicine satisfaction when compared to those receiving non-fracture care (4.90 vs. 4.64, p=0.001). Telemedicine satisfaction was also significantly greater in patients traveling more than 50 miles from their home to clinic (4.96 vs. 4.67, p<0.001). Patients with median household income less than the Georgia state median ($55,679) were more satisfied with their telemedicine visits than those with greater income, though the difference was non-significant. Conclusion: our data suggest those with significantly hindered mobility such as increased distance from clinic, lower socioeconomic status, and those seeking care for fractures had higher telemedicine satisfaction than their peers. Further study is needed to detail the precise and safe use of telemedicine in practice, but these data illuminate the high ceiling telemedicine offers in expanding patient care. Our hope is that this study aids as a supportive rationale for the continued use of telehealth visits past the period of the pandemic and encourages a more nuanced view of what visit types may be best-suited for telehealthcare

Feasibility of Rapid Development and Deployment of a Telemedicine Program in a Foot and Ankle Orthopedic Practice

2020 ◽  
pp. 107110072096305
Author(s):  
Wesley J. Manz ◽  
Rahul Goel ◽  
Omolola P. Fakunle ◽  
Sameh A. Labib ◽  
Jason T. Bariteau
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Clinical Approach ◽  
Foot And Ankle ◽  
Office Visits ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Phone Survey ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Future

Background: A lack of access to care is predictably associated with negative outcomes in foot and ankle surgery. Despite recent advances in telecommunication technologies, the field of orthopedics has been slow to adopt these resources in offsetting barriers to care. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced departments to change their clinical approach, lending unprecedented opportunity to better understand how telehealth may bridge this care gap in foot and ankle practices. The purpose of this study was to assess patient-reported outcomes of telemedicine encounters, including comfort and patient satisfaction. Our hypothesis was that patients would be significantly less satisfied with telemedicine when compared with in-office appointments for all nonemergency visit types. Methods: Telemedicine satisfaction was assessed via phone survey with a modified 1 to 5 Likert scale. Patients who had completed a telemedicine visit between April 13, 2020, and June 19, 2020, were eligible to participate. Patient demographics were recorded, and data were analyzed using paired and independent t tests for parametric continuous data and Fisher’s exact and chi-square tests for noncontinuous data. A total of 216 patients completed the telemedicine questionnaire. Results: The overall mean satisfaction for telemedicine visits (4.7) was significantly lower than that for in-office visits (4.9) ( P < .001). However, the majority (90.3%) of patients reported they would use telemedicine again in the future. When compared, patients seeking fracture care had significantly higher telemedicine satisfaction (4.9, n = 38) than those receiving nonfracture care (4.6, n = 178) ( P = .001), and those greater than 50 miles from the clinic had higher satisfaction (5.0, n = 14) than patients living within 50 miles of the clinic (4.7, n = 202) ( P < .001). Conclusion: Patients were more satisfied with their in-office clinic visit than telemedicine, although the vast majority of patients endorsed a willingness to utilize telemedicine in the future. Patients with trauma and greater barriers to foot and ankle care were more satisfied with their telemedicine visits. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study.

scholarly journals Comparison of Patient Satisfaction Between Virtual Visits During the COVID-19 Pandemic and In-person Visits Pre-pandemic

2020 ◽  
pp. 000348942097776
Author(s):  
Kyohei Itamura ◽  
Dennis M. Tang ◽  
Thomas S. Higgins ◽  
Franklin L. Rimell ◽  
Elisa A. Illing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Interpersonal Communication ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Virtual Visits ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Student’S T

Objective: To compare the patient experience of a virtual otolaryngology clinic visit to an in-person visit, especially with its significantly increased implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Patient satisfaction (PS) metrics from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey were queried from March 1, 2020 to May 1, 2020 for telehealth visits and January 1, 2020 to March 1, 2020 for in-person visits. Overlapping and comparable questions were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test for independence, and Student’s t-test. Results: There were 1284 partial or complete PS surveys from in-person visits and 221 partial or complete virtual PS surveys. There were statistically significantly worse virtual visit evaluations of provider listening, conveyance of information, likelihood to recommend, and overall provider ratings compared to in-person visits. Conclusion: Telehealth has become the new norm for most healthcare providers in the United States. This study demonstrates some of the initial shortcomings of telehealth in an otolaryngology practice and identifies challenges with interpersonal communication that may need to be addressed as telehealth becomes increasingly prevalent. Level of Evidence: Three.

scholarly journals Determining Success or Failure After Foot and Ankle Surgery Using Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) and Patient Reported Outcome Information System (PROMIS)

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 894-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Anderson ◽  
Judith F. Baumhauer ◽  
Benedict F. DiGiovanni ◽  
Sam Flemister ◽  
John P. Ketz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcome ◽  
Patient Outcomes ◽  
Roc Analysis ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Foot And Ankle ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Ankle Surgery ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Patient Acceptable Symptom State ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

Background: As the role of generic patient-reported outcomes (PROs) expands, important questions remain about their interpretation. In particular, how the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Instrumentation System (PROMIS) t score values correlate with the patients’ perception of success or failure (S/F) of their surgery is unknown. The purposes of this study were to characterize the association of PROMIS t scores, the patients’ perception of their symptoms (patient acceptable symptom state [PASS]), and determination of S/F after surgery. Methods: This retrospective cohort study contacted patients after the 4 most common foot and ankle surgeries at a tertiary academic medical center (n = 88). Patient outcome as determined by phone interviews included PASS and patients’ judgment of whether their surgery was a S/F. Assessment also included PROMIS physical function (PF), pain interference (PI), and depression (D) scales. The association between S/F and PASS outcomes was evaluated by chi-square analysis. A 2-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) evaluated the ability of PROMIS to discriminate PASS and/or S/F outcomes. Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis was used to evaluate the ability of pre- (n = 63) and postoperative (n = 88) PROMIS scores to predict patient outcomes (S/F and PASS). Finally, the proportion of individuals classified by the identified thresholds were evaluated using chi-square analysis. Results: There was a strong association between PASS and S/F after surgery (chi-square <0.01). Two-way ANOVA demonstrated that PROMIS t scores discriminate whether patients experienced positive or negative outcome for PASS ( P < .001) and S/F ( P < .001). The ROC analysis showed significant accuracy (area under the curve > 0.7) for postoperative but not preoperative PROMIS t scores in determining patient outcome for both PASS and S/F. The proportion of patients classified by applying the ROC analysis thresholds using PROMIS varied from 43.0% to 58.8 % for PASS and S/F. Conclusions: Patients who found their symptoms and activity at a satisfactory level (ie, PASS yes) also considered their surgery a success. However, patients who did not consider their symptoms and activity at a satisfactory level did not consistently consider their surgery a failure. PROMIS t scores for physical function and pain demonstrated the ability to discriminate and accurately predict patient outcome after foot and ankle surgery for 43.0% to 58.8% of participants. These data improve the clinical utility of PROMIS scales by suggesting thresholds for positive and negative patient outcomes independent of other factors. Level of Evidence: II, prospective comparative series.

scholarly journals Generalizability and Validation of PROMIS Scores to Predict Surgical Success in Foot and Ankle Patients

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011417S0000 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Baumhauer ◽  
Michael Anderson ◽  
Charles Saltzman ◽  
Man Hung ◽  
Florian Nickisch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Foot And Ankle ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Post Surgery ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

Category: Patient Reported Outcomes Introduction/Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes are advancing clinical care by improving patient satisfaction and engagement. A recent publication reported preoperative PROMIS scores to be highly predictive in selecting patients who would and would not benefit from foot and ankle (F/A) surgery. Although this publication used the data from 5 fellowship trained foot and ankle surgeons at one institution, the generalizability to other patient populations and geographic areas is unknown. This validation study assesses the pre-operative PROMIS physical function (PF) and pain interference (PI) t-scores as a predictor of post-operative success from a separate geographic area. Methods: Prospective consecutive patient visits to a multi-surgeon tertiary F/A clinic were obtained between 1/2014-11/2016 resulting in 18,565 unique visits and 1,408 new patients. Patients undergoing elective operative intervention for F/A were identified by ICD-9/10; CPT code. PROMIS PF and PI were assessed at initial and follow-up visits (minimum 6 months, mean 7.8 months). Two-way ANOVA was used to determine differences in PROMIS PF and PI from pre to post surgery with age and gender as co- variates. The distributive method of estimating a minimal clinical important difference (MCID) was used. Receiver operator curve (ROC) analysis was used to determine cut offs for achieving and failing to achieve MCID. To determine the validity of previously published cut offs, 1) they were compared to cut offs for this data set and 2) the percentage of patients achieving and failing to achieve MCID based on previous cut offs were evaluated using a chi-square analysis. Results: There were significant improvements in PROMIS PF scores (mean=6.0; sd=11.6; p<0.01) and PI scores (mean=-7.0; sd=8.4; p<0.01). The AUC for PROMIS PF (0.77) was significant (p < 0.01) and the cut offs for achieving MCID (current data = <23.8 versus previous study= <29.7) and failing to achieve MCID (current data=>41.1 versus previous study=>42) were comparable (Figure 1). Of the patients identified as unlikely to achieve MCID, a significant proportion (88.9%) failed to achieve an MCID ((Chi square=4.7; p=0.03). Of the patients identified as likely to achieve MCID, a significant proportion (84.2%) achieved MCID ((Chi square=17.8; p<0.01). This validates the prior preoperative PROMIS PF thresholds for patients undergoing F/A surgery who will and will not demonstrate MCID improvement in PROMIS PF. The AUC for PROMIS PI was not significant. Conclusion: PROMIS PF cut offs from published data were successful in classifying patients who would improve in PF with surgery from a different geographic area and academic institution with a broad unique array of surgical procedures, diagnoses, and a diverse patient population. This study provides validation evidence to support using the PROMIS PF as a potential tool for surgical selection to help identify patients who would benefit from surgery as well as those who would not. This can allow for appropriate utilization of healthcare dollars and manpower resources to benefit our patients.

Abstract TMP74: Telepresence and Provider Communication Predict Satisfaction With Telestroke

Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Griffin T Selch ◽  
Michael J Lyerly ◽  
Holly Martin ◽  
Glenn Graham ◽  
Sharyl Martini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Patient Experience ◽  
Stroke Severity ◽  
Provider Communication ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Student’S T

Background: In 2016 the Veterans Health Administration implemented the first nationwide Telestroke program; 800 consults were completed in the first 18 months. Preliminary analysis showed Veterans reported high satisfaction and acceptance of the program. This study sought to understand patient, provider, and hospital-level factors associated with patient satisfaction. Methods: Patients who received a Telestroke consultation were eligible for a phone interview two weeks later, including standard questions about technology quality, telepresence (how much the encounter felt like face-to-face), Telestroke provider communication, and overall satisfaction. Satisfaction scores ranged from 1-7, (higher = more satisfied), and for analyses were dichotomized as 6-7 indicating high satisfaction vs. < 6. Patient variables including stroke severity (NIH Stroke Scale) were obtained from study records. We used Student’s t-tests and Chi-square tests to compare variables related to patient-reported satisfaction, and used a logistic regression model to determine factors independently associated with high satisfaction. Results: Over 18 months, 208 interviews were completed and 156 (75%) reported high satisfaction with Telestroke. Patients with more severe stroke were less likely to recall the consultation (p = 0.01). Factors significantly associated with patient satisfaction were higher ratings of the technology (p < 0.0001), telepresence (p < 0.0001), provider communication ratings (p < 0.0001) and overall VA satisfaction (p = 0.01). Among 13 providers with at least 10 consultations, there was no difference in mean patient satisfaction scores. In the multivariate model, telepresence (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.81-5.31) and provider communication scores (OR 2.37, 95% CI 1.20-4.68) were independently associated with satisfaction. Conclusion and Potential Impact: Provider qualities, including telepresence and provider ratings, were associated with overall Veteran satisfaction with Telestroke. Technology quality may be necessary but not sufficient to impact patient experience. Training providers to improve telepresence and communication skills could improve patient experience with Telestroke consultation.

Influence of Complications and Revision Surgery on Fulfillment of Expectations in Foot and Ankle Surgery

2021 ◽  
pp. 107110072098523
Author(s):  
Bopha Chrea ◽  
Jonathan Day ◽  
Jensen Henry ◽  
Elizabeth Cody ◽  
Scott Ellis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Pain Management ◽  
Postoperative Complications ◽  
Postoperative Complication ◽  
Foot And Ankle ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Initial Surgery ◽  
Ankle Surgery ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Impact

Background: Fulfillment of patients’ expectations following foot and ankle surgery has been previously studied, and shown to be an effective modality in assessing patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Although this assessment has been shown to correlate well with patient satisfaction and other validated PROs, the impact of postoperative complications on fulfillment of expectations is unknown. The aim of this study is to therefore investigate the impact of postoperative complications on fulfillment of patients’ expectations. Methods: Preoperatively, patients completed a validated Foot and Ankle Expectations Survey consisting of 23 questions encompassing domains including pain, ambulation, daily function, exercise, and shoe wear. At 2 years postoperatively, patients answered how much improvement they received for each item cited preoperatively. A fulfillment proportion (FP) was calculated as the amount of improvement received versus the amount of improvement expected. Chart review was performed to identify patient demographics, comorbidities, pain management, and postoperative complications, which were classified as minor (infection requiring antibiotics) or major (return to operating room for revision, deep infection). FP in patients with a complication was compared to patients who did not experience a complication. In addition, the Foot and Ankle Outcomes Score (FAOS), satisfaction, and Delighted-Terrible scale (how they would feel if asked to spend the rest of their life with their current foot/ankle symptom) were collected at final follow-up. Of the 271 patients (mean age 55.4 years, 65% female), 31 (11.4%, mean age 53.6, 58% female) had a postoperative complication: 25 major (19 revisions, 6 deep infections requiring irrigation and debridement), 4 minor (4 superficial infections requiring antibiotics), and 2 major and minor (revision and superficial infection). Average time from complication to completion of fulfillment survey was 15 (±3.6) months. The groups were similar in diagnoses. Results: Complications were associated with significantly worse FP (0.69 ± 0.45 vs 0.86 ± 0.40, P = .02). Having a complication significantly correlated with worse satisfaction, Delighted-Terrible scale, and FP ( P < .001). FAOS domains were similar between groups preoperatively; postoperatively, patients without complications had significantly higher Activities of Daily Living and Quality of Life scores ( P < .05). Demographically, there was no difference in age, sex, body mass index, Charlson Comorbidity Index, depression/anxiety, or pain management between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Our data suggests that postoperative complications following foot and ankle surgery were associated with worse patient-reported fulfillment of their operative expectations even after recovery from the initial surgery and complication. This finding is independent of preoperative expectations, and correlates with patient satisfaction with their procedure. Therefore, while patient-perceived fulfillment following foot and ankle surgery is multifactorial, the incidence of a postoperative complication negatively impacts fulfillment as well as satisfaction following surgery. Level of Evidence: Level II, prospective comparative series.

scholarly journals Patient Satisfaction versus Patient Reported Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 2473011418S0014
Author(s):  
Chayanin Angthong
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Patient Reported Outcomes ◽  
Satisfaction Score ◽  
Successful Outcome ◽  
P Value ◽  
Treatment Level ◽  
Foot And Ankle ◽  
Patient Satisfaction Score ◽  
Sf 36 ◽  
Patient Reported

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Several researches focused on patient reported outcomes (PROs), however, little is known about the actual correlation between the patient satisfaction and PROs. The present study is to determine the correlation between patient satisfaction and PROs. Methods: A total of 35 patients with foot and ankle disability participated in this study to complete the data in terms of the patient satisfaction score and PROs. All of them were treated by a single foot and ankle surgeon. The Thai patient satisfaction score or Foot and Ankle Satisfaction Score [FASS] (0 [worst] -100 [best]) consisted of 4 items regarding patient’s perspectives as 1) symptoms, 2) function, 3) other complaints, and 4) recommendation of his/her treatment for other patients. PROs measures consisted of validated Thai visual analogue scale foot and ankle (VASFA) (0 [worst] -100 [best]) and Thai Short Form-36 (SF-36) (0 [worst] -100 [best]). Results: Mean total FASS was 92.0 ± 11.8, 87.7 ± 17.0, 98.6 ± 6.0, 98.6 ± 8.5 and for the items: symptoms, function, other complaints, and recommendation of his/her treatment for other patients, respectively. Mean total FASS was 94.2 ± 6.8. Mean VASFA was 67.7 ± 18.3. Mean SF-36 was 82.7 ± 10.7.There were no significant correlations between mean total FASS and PROs (VASFA [p-value < 0.05], SF-36 [p-value <0.05]). There were no significant correlations between mean FASS in all items and PROs (VASFA, SF-36) with all p-values < 0.05. The significant correlation was found between VASFA and SF-36 (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.734; p-value<0.01). Conclusion: One of the successful treatment results is the improvement of patient satisfaction. Even if several researches focused on the assessment of PROs to achieve the successful outcome, this kind of measures was no significant correlation with patient satisfaction. PROs were not able to reflect the patient satisfaction following treatments. Patient satisfaction may be related to other parameters, in addition to the PROs, such as the patient expectation, the post-treatment level of physician-patient relationship, the patient’s confidence in his/her physician capability, etc. Further study is needed to clarify these factors.

Timing is everything: Improving the frequency, timeliness, and effectiveness of goals of care conversations for oncology patients in Manitoba.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 4-4
Author(s):  
Tara Carpenter-Kellett ◽  
Joel Roger Gingerich ◽  
Piotr Czaykowski ◽  
Alissa Loader ◽  
Oliver Bucher
Keyword(s):  
Curriculum Implementation ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Stage Iv ◽  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Cancer Center ◽  
Clinical Workflow ◽  
Patient Centered ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
The Difference

4 Background: Advanced care planning (ACP) in oncology requires effective communication and coordination. Early and regular ACP discussions are endorsed by ESMO and can help facilitate quality, patient-centered care. Methods: An ACP curriculum was created at CancerCare Manitoba that included health care provider (HCP) engagement, HCP and patient education, improved ACP clinical workflow, and improved ease of ACP documentation in the medical record. We evaluated the occurrence and frequency of ACP discussions before implementation of the ACP curriculum using a random sample of 100 adult patients diagnosed with stage IV solid tumors in Manitoba, Canada during 2014. We compared this group to a similar group of patients from 2017 after ACP curriculum implementation. Differences between the two cohorts were tested using Chi-square and Fisher’s Exact tests. The time from a patient’s first clinic visit with an oncologist to their first ACP conversation was described using cumulative incidence curves with K-sample tests used to test for significant differences between the 2014 and 2017 cohorts. Results: Of the 200 patients selected, 153 were assessed at our provincial cancer center (76 in 2014 and 77 in 2017). The median age for this group was 68. 59% were male. 56% received at least 1 line of chemotherapy. ACP documentation increased from 29% in 2014 to 42% in 2017 (p = 0.10). Between 2014 and 2017, initial ACP discussions occurred at: Initial visit (18% vs. 41%), disease progression (27% vs. 31%) and referral to palliative care (55% vs. 28%). After curriculum implementation ACP documentation occurred earlier in the patient’s cancer journey (p = 0.04). Conclusions: After implementation of an ACP curriculum at our cancer center, ACP discussions occurred more often and earlier, but the difference was only significant for earlier ACP discussions. Even after ACP curriculum implementation, a significant proportion of patients did not have ACP documented in their patient record. Understanding and overcoming barriers related to ACP at our institution will be critical for further ACP documentation improvement.

scholarly journals What Are Typical Outcomes Associated with Physical Therapy for Foot & Ankle Patients?

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 2473011419S0010
Author(s):  
Judith F. Baumhauer ◽  
Christopher Neville ◽  
Kostantinos Vasalos ◽  
Chad Condidorio ◽  
Kathleen Fear ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Ankle Sprain ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Foot And Ankle ◽  
Ankle Pain ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Chi Square Analysis

Category: Outcomes Introduction/Purpose: It is unclear whether patients attending physical therapy, post-op or for conservative care, achieve clinically important differences (CID) on the patient reported outcome information system (PROMIS) scales. Key PROMIS outcomes physical function (PF) and pain interference (PI) match well with treatments provided in physical therapy. Physical therapy may also influence depression (Dep). Documentation of PROMIS outcomes associated with physical therapy are useful to help set patient expectations. The purpose of this analysis was to document expected PROMIS PF, PI, and Dep outcomes after physical therapy for foot and ankle diagnoses by 1) reporting average improvement and 2) examining whether severity of symptoms (PROMIS Scales) at the start of physical therapy are associated with a 0.5 standard deviation (CID) improvement at the end of therapy. Methods: PROMIS scales were available at the start and end of physical therapy treatment for 377 patients with foot and ankle ICD10 codes. Clinical categories(>n=20) of patients were identified for 6 groups(n=309): Achilles Rupture(n=24), Fracture(n=34), Ankle Pain(n=105), Foot Pain(n= 50), Ankle Sprain(n=51), and Achilles Non-Rupture(n=45). ANOVA models followed by pairwise comparisons were used to assess differences between start and end scores for all patients (n=377) and across diagnoses (n=309). Minimal CID was defined as improvement of t-score 3-5 and CID as above 5 (0.5 SD) consistent with published data. PROMIS scales were also converted to 0.5 standard deviation(SD) increments to document proportions of patients with symptoms relative to normal of the US population at start and end of physical therapy. Chi-square analysis was used to examine the association of PROMIS symptoms PF and PI at the start and end of care in 0.5 SD increments. Results: Across ALL patients the largest improvements occurred in PF (6.5, p<0.01) followed by PI (3.9, P<0.01) and Dep (2.4, p<0.01). When evaluating diagnostic categories, all categories improved for PI (p<0.01), PF (p<0.05) and for Dep except for Ankle Pain (p=0.22). For PF, improvements ranged from 6.6 for Ankle Sprain to 3.3 for Achilles Non-Rupture. For PI improvements ranged from 11.1 for Achilles rupture to 4.6 for Achilles Non-Rupture. For both PF and PI there was a significant association of starting PF (p<0.01) and PI (p<0.01) score and end PF and PI scores. Patients with worse PF or PI in the midrange (55-65) at the start showed a higher percentage of patients achieving a 0.5 increment improvement at the end of therapy. Conclusion: Although many factors influence these outcomes, physical therapy for foot and ankle patients was associated with strong positive, clinically meaningful outcomes for a majority of patients as assessed during the episode of care. As expected improvements were greater for PF and PI as compared to Dep. Providers should consider more severe symptoms as a possible indication for physical therapy referral.

scholarly journals Telemedicine, Patient Satisfaction, and Chronic Rhinosinusitis Care in the Era of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
pp. 194589242097046
Author(s):  
Megan V. Morisada ◽  
Joshua Hwang ◽  
Amarbir S. Gill ◽  
Machelle D. Wilson ◽  
E. Bradley Strong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Chronic Rhinosinusitis ◽  
Disease Severity ◽  
Clinic Visit ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
High Satisfaction ◽  
Patients At Risk ◽  
Chi Square Test ◽  
Clinic Visits

Background Telemedicine has become increasingly popular in the care of rhinologic patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. This change in practice patterns may place patients at risk of a perceived lower-quality exchange with their healthcare provider, which may in turn impact satisfaction. Objective This study compares patient satisfaction scores between in-person clinic visits and telemedicine video visits in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Methods Sixty-nine patients with CRS presenting to an academic rhinology clinic between March to April 2020 were retrospectively divided into video visits (VV) and clinic visits (CV) groups based on mandated state quarantine orders on March 19. Patient demographics, disease severity measures, and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire-18 (PSQ-18) scores were collected and analyzed. Chi square test and Fisher’s exact test were performed. Results There were no significant differences in age (p = 0.81), gender (p = 0.55), CRS phenotype (p = 0.16), and disease severity measures (Sinonasal Outcomes Test-22 (SNOT-22) (p = 0.92); Lund-Mackay score (p = 0.96)) between the video and clinic visit groups. There were no significant differences in PSQ-18 total scores (VV PSQ-18 mean score = 78.1, CV PSQ-18 mean score = 78.4; p = 0.67) or the following subdomain scores between the two groups: general satisfaction (p = 0.73), technical quality (p = 0.62), interpersonal manner (p = 0.41), communication (p = 0.31), financial aspects (p = 0.89), time spent with doctor (p = 0.88), and accessibility and convenience (p = 0.47). Conclusion Patient satisfaction with telemedicine in the COVID-19 pandemic parallels that of traditional in-person visits. Video visits can serve as a viable alternative to clinic visits, while still maintaining high satisfaction.

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