THE USEFULNESS OF TELEMEDICINE IN RHEUMATOLOGY: POINTS OF VIEW OF PRACTITIONERS AND PATIENTS

BackgroundThe advent of COVID-19 has allowed a rapid expansion of telemedicine (TM) and its implementation in various specialties. Despite this extensive use of TM, its role in rheumatology is conflicting and much remains unknown about TM’s acceptability and efficiency in rheumatology [1].ObjectivesOur study aimed to evaluate rheumatologists’ and patients’ willingness for TM and factors helping to adopt this alternative.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study including patients attending our rheumatology department as well as rheumatologists. Patients were contacted by phone and rheumatologists were invited to answer a questionnaire via Google Form. We evaluated their points of view and suitability for TM by inquiring about their experience with tele-rheumatology, information technology supports, personal barriers to telemedicine, and reasons for adopting this alternative. Moreover, additional questions probed the clinician’s perception of the appropriate clinical context for TM application as well as the corresponding legislation.ResultsOverall, 135 responses were collected including 60 rheumatologists and 75 patients. The distribution of diagnosis was as follows: rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (n=15), spondyloarthritis (SpA) (n=20), juvenile idiopathic arthritis (n=23), and osteoarthritis (n=17). Of the rheumatologists, 76.2 % were aged between 30 and 50 years old, 79.3% reported working at an academic center, and the majority were physician-level practitioners (71.2%), working for more than 5 years (61%). Afforded electronic devices were as follows: laptop (87.9%), smartphone (70.7%), afforded headset microphone (24.1%), camera (29.3%) for doctors. Forty-six percent of the rheumatologists estimate that they have a good internet connexion, 62.7% had an appropriate place for teleconsultation. Nearly, 40.7% of the rheumatologists were familiar with the concept of TM but only 39% reported experience with TM. Willingness to accept this model of care for rheumatologists and patients was found in 78% and 37.3% respectively. According to the doctors, the benefits of TM encompassed tele-training (61.7%), remote medical monitoring (61.7%) especially during the COVID-19 (70.2%), benefits for patients (74.5%), reduced inequalities in access to healthcare (46.8%), and improved quality of care (29.8%). The main barriers to TM were the lack of clear legislation (47.8%) and financial compensation (17.4%). Clinicians and patients identified common barriers to effective tele-rheumatology as the inability to perform a physical exam (91.3% vs 33.3%), the fear of trivializing the disease (34.8% vs 36%), and the lack of resources and infrastructures (43.5% vs 29.3%). The majority of the doctors (86.2%) expressed their willingness to attend training workshops. Reported areas to apply TM according to the doctors were mainly osteoarthritis (76.3%) and rheumatic diseases (64.4%), but also pediatric rheumatology (28.8%) and undiagnosed new patients (3.4%). Regarding legislation, most of practitioners estimated that it should be selective with specific authorizations (42.4%) or relaxed with the possibility of derogation (32.2%). Twenty-two percent of them reported that legislation should be strict with the possibility of sanctions, whereas a minority (3.4%) opted for a free practice without regulation at all. Factors associated with adherence to TM were age<40 years (p=0.036) for doctors and familiarity with the concept (p=0.006) and electronic devices afforded (p=0.000) for the patients.ConclusionFindings from this study showed the reluctance of the patients to adhere to TM compared to doctors. Concerns and risks may lessen for both sides, once remote consultations are applied. Nevertheless, patient education is required for the success of TM application.References[1]Sloan M, Lever E, Harwood R, et al. Telemedicine in rheumatology: A mixed methods study exploring acceptability, preferences and experiences among patients and clinicians [published online ahead of print, 2021 Oct 26]. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2021;keab796.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared