Publication details
Preanesthesia evaluation by using digital/telemedicine technologies in the Czech Republic - are our patients ready and willing to it?
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Background and Goal of Study: Pre-anaesthesia assessment (PAA) represents an essential part of anaesthesia service. Only few papers report remote PAA by using digital telemedicine technologies (1). In the Czech Republic, there are no data describing patient’s equipment and willingness to undergo PAA without direct contact to physician by using e.g. smartphone. The aim of our study was to find out, whether patients scheduled for elective surgery own smartphone, have access to internet/e-mail and whether they would be willing to undergo PAA by using their devices, therefore without visiting pre-anaesthesia clinic. (PAC). We hypothesized that 50% of adult patients visiting PAC would have smartphone and internet/e-mail access and that 50% of patients would agree to undergo their PAA at home. Methods: Multicentre observational study based on simple questionnaire that adult patients had to answer at the end of their PAA. Recorded data - age, gender, level of education, ownership of smartphone, access to internet/e-mail and patients’ willingness to undergo their PAA in a remote fashion. Sample size calculation - 1000 patients; obtained data were analyzed by using descriptive statistical methods. Results: During 2 months period we obtained data from 1705 adult consecutive patients visiting PAC. Twenty patients were excluded from analysis due to incomplete or wrongly recorded data, finally data from 1685 patients were analysed. One thousand thirty four patients (61%) completed secondary school, 957 patients (57%) own smartphone, 1330 (79%) have access to internet, 1260 (75%) use e-mail. Five hundred and thirty-six patients (32%) expressed their willingness to undergo PAA by the use of any kind of digital connection, 1064 (64%) refused, 63 (4%) didn’t know. Conclusion: More than half of adult patients undergoing PAA own smartphone, most of them have internet connection and use e-mail. One third of patients expressed their willingness to undergo PAA by the use of any kind of digital connection. Pilot trial testing remote PAA in selected groups of patients seems to be feasible. |