Telemedicine Strategies in Traumatology and Orthopedics

Introduction

Initially, videoconferencing was used in telemedicine in orthopedics to discuss specific situations between non-specialist clinicians. Lately, it has advanced to include physical examinations, teleconsultations with patients, and postoperative follow-up in some circumstances. According to studies, certain people can receive consultations without risk. Although this issue has been discussed for a while, current research has revealed that many orthopedic physicians are still opposed to it. Telemedicine has several applications in the clinical practice of orthopedics. Let us talk about this technology's benefits, obstacles, and enablers.

Telemedicine: What Is It?

• The provision of medical services over distance is the most basic definition of the broad word telemedicine.

• This description covers several applications and variants on each topic, including asynchronous diagnostic assessment, continuous biosensor monitoring, and synchronous video consultations.

• It is currently a popular issue, and adoption is soaring across almost all medical specialties and services.

• The history of telemedicine dates back more than 50 years, even though the rise was fueled by widely accessible internet service.

• The ability to deliver healthcare services has evolved due to advancements in telecommunication technology during the past few decades.

• Many programs from more than 40 years ago use two-way communication and antiquated closed-circuit TV systems to provide medical consultations to remote locations, and x-ray images have been reasonably well transmitted by telephone and radio from underserved areas to reference centers since the 1940s.

• Since the creation and widespread use of smart, connected gadgets, as well as more affordable and widely available internet, telemedicine's development and maturation increased exponentially. A similar thing happened with scientific and field publications.

• The names also suggest a close connection between digital interfaces—artifacts whose effectiveness is related to user-centered interaction design projects—and health. The use of communications technology to deliver healthcare remotely in the field of orthopedics is referred to as "tele-orthopedics" using the same taxonomy as telemedicine.

• Telemedicine is the practice of providing medical treatment remotely using a communications medium.

• Although COVID-19 afflicted people constituted a national emergency in nearly every country in the world, the majority of healthcare resources were directed toward treating them. The majority of hospitals all around the world had abruptly stopped doing elective surgery and other outpatient treatments.

• National orthopedic regulating authorities are promoting the use of telemedicine as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic since research indicates that social isolation may be essential until 2022. This systematic review aims to examine the evidence for telemedicine in orthopedics and identify its benefits, validity, efficacy, and use.

Is Telemedicine Useful in Orthopedics?

• Telemedicine has a lot to offer in the field of orthopedics. It also offers positive patient-reported results, is cost-effective, and is seen as an opportunity with the potential to be investigated.

• There are many suitable telemedicine applications suggested for orthopedic practice, including teleconsultation for diagnosis, treatment, and patient follow-up; virtual rehabilitation; or even providing specialized advice in a teleconsultation for non-specialist doctors.

• This is because the COVID-19 pandemic is a tipping point in the telemedicine adoption curve, which is now showing exponential growth in most countries.

• Due to patients requiring immediate outpatient follow-up, the orthopedist's role in the healthcare system has been reimagined. Telemedicine's significance as a tool for orthopedic reality seems ever more crucial.

• This narrative review will concentrate on the use of telemedicine in orthopedics, including its limitations, possible applications, findings from published data, best practices, and the practical experience of established tele-orthopedic services.

• Thus, we want to inspire orthopedic clinics and surgeons to create their own telemedicine services.

What Possible Applications Exist in Orthopedics for Telemedicine?

Although there are many potential applications for communication technology in healthcare, those who are most interested in this issue are focused on the use of teleconsultations in routine clinical practice. Many nations effectively do remote fracture diagnostics on an outpatient basis. Physical examination is another issue that worries orthopedists since many believe that it cannot be done via video. In this sense, there are inherent limits to the virtual examination regarding orthopedic clinical evaluation through video consultations, and the orthopedist should determine whether a face-to-face appointment is required.

An effective ally in enhancing treatment for patients having orthopedic surgery appears to be telemedicine. Yet, remote monitoring is likely to get considerably better shortly. The use of video for postoperative follow-up has several benefits and is well-received. Telerehabilitation is already being used in some circumstances to treat orthopedic surgery patients.

What Is a Tele-Orthopedic Strategy?

• The use of telemedicine in the healthcare system is supported by laws that were previously passed before the epidemic and set forth legal requirements.

• The tele-orthopedic method has grown to be a valuable resource for the rural community, and they expect to be able to expand its use to provide residents in remote areas with quicker and cheaper medical care.

• By examining whether educating primary care physicians has led to a decline in non-surgical referrals in traumatology and orthopedics over a longer period, it is possible to determine the effectiveness of this method in the medium and long run.

• The requirement for particular physical examination abilities to gather the necessary information poses a significant barrier to the implementation of a telemedicine strategy in traumatology and orthopedics.

• Both patients and medical professionals must acquire new knowledge and abilities to use teleconsultation effectively.

• Online consultations with a specialist will need new equipment on the patient's end, new abilities to utilize it, and an improvement in the capacity to interpret measures from the instruments that patients use as telemedicine enters more and more precise fields.

Conclusion

Orthopedic telemedicine has grown securely. It can be utilized for fracture follow-up, postoperative follow-up in some circumstances, and even in pediatric patients. Many nations effectively do remote fracture diagnostics on an outpatient basis. There have been created protocols and techniques to standardize the virtual orthopedic evaluation for typical musculoskeletal diseases. Orthopedics remote treatment has previously been documented to be cost-effective and to be well-received by patients in various research. Due to its enormous potential, we think that remote treatment will be increased in many hospitals worldwide. This fact is explained by natural, technological advancement and the exponentially faster change and eradication of habits following the COVID-19 disaster.