Digital Literacy and Patient Satisfaction in Telemedicine Follow-Up With In-Person App Instruction Versus Outpatient Department Follow-Up After Upper-Extremity Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial - Summary - MDSpire
Advertisement
Digital Literacy and Patient Satisfaction in Telemedicine Follow-Up With In-Person App Instruction Versus Outpatient Department Follow-Up After Upper-Extremity Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial
To compare patient satisfaction between telemedicine and in-person postoperative follow-up after upper-extremity surgery and to examine the association between digital literacy and patient satisfaction.
Approach:
Study Design: A single-center, open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled trial comparing telemedicine follow-up with conventional in-person outpatient department follow-up.
Participants: Adults aged 18 to 80 years who underwent elective, nontraumatic hand or upper-extremity surgery, residing in Bangkok or neighboring urban provinces, and having access to a smartphone, tablet, or computer with stable internet.
Intervention: Participants were randomized to receive either telemedicine or in-person follow-up at 2 and 6 weeks postoperatively, with standardized postoperative education provided to all.
Key Findings:
Telemedicine follow-up did not show a significant difference in patient satisfaction compared to in-person follow-up according to the study results.
The study found that higher levels of digital literacy were associated with greater patient satisfaction.
Interpretation:
Limitations:
The study was conducted in a single center, which may limit generalizability.
The trial registration occurred after participant enrollment began due to administrative delays.
