Telehealth for general surgery postoperative care

Background: Telehealth utilization rapidly increased following the pandemic. However, it is not widely used in the Veteran surgical population. We sought to evaluate postoperative telehealth in patients undergoing general surgery. Methods: Retrospective review of Veterans undergoing general surgery at a level 1A VA Medical Center from June 2019 to September 2021. Exclusions were concomitant procedure(s), discharge with drains or non-absorbable sutures/staples, complication prior to discharge or pathology positive for malignancy. Results: 1075 patients underwent qualifying procedures, 124 (12 %) were excluded and 162 (17 %) did not have follow-up. 443 (56 %) patients followed-up in -person (56 %) vs 346 (44 %) via telehealth. Telehealth patients had a lower rate of complications, 6 % vs 12 %, p 1/4 0.013. There were no significant differences in ED visits, 30 -day readmission, postoperative procedures or missed adverse events. Conclusion: Telehealth follow-up after general surgical procedures is safe and effective. Postoperative telehealth care should be considered after low-risk general surgery procedures.