Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33140151›Full record

ArticleSurgical endoscopy2021

Telemedicine for postoperative follow-up, virtual surgical clinics during COVID-19 pandemic.

María J Irarrázaval, Martin Inzunza, Rodrigo Muñoz, Nicolás Quezada, Alejandro Brañes, Mauricio Gabrielli, Pedro Soto, Martín Dib, Gonzalo Urrejola, Julian Varas and 3 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Surgical endoscopy, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
20citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 51 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Feasibility of initial telemedicine follow-up after spinal fusion for AIS.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
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  18. Risk of readmission to the emergency department in mild COVID-19 outpatients with telehealth follow-up.Revista de la Facultad de Ciencias Medicas (Cordoba, Argentina) · 2021
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

María J IrarrázavalDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Martin InzunzaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Rodrigo MuñozDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Nicolás QuezadaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Alejandro BrañesDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Mauricio GabrielliDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Pedro SotoDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Martín DibDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Gonzalo UrrejolaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Julian VarasDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Sebastián ValderramaDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Fernando CrovariDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile.
Pablo AchurraDepartment of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Diagonal Paraguay 362, 8330077, Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile. achurrapablo@gmail.com.ORCID 0000-0001-6803-423X
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile · CL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recent coronavirus outbreak and "stay at home" policies have accelerated the implementation of virtual healthcare. Many surgery departments are implementing telemedicine to enhance remote perioperative care. However, concern still arises regarding the safety of this modality in postoperative follow-up after gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of the present prospective study is to compare the use of telemedicine clinics to in-person follow-up for postoperative care after gastrointestinal surgery during COVID-19 outbreak.

methodsProspective study that included all abdominal surgery patients operated since the COVID-19 outbreak. On discharge, patients were given the option to perform their postoperative follow-up appointment by telemedicine or by in-person clinics. Demographic, perioperative, and follow-up variables were analyzed.

resultsAmong 219 patients who underwent abdominal surgery, 106 (48%) had their postoperative follow-up using telemedicine. There were no differences in age, gender, ASA score, and COVID-19 positive rate between groups. Patients who preferred telemedicine over in-person follow-up were more likely to have undergone laparoscopic surgery (71% vs. 51%, P = 0.037) and emergency surgery (55% vs. 41%; P = 0.038). Morbidity rate for telemedicine and in-person group was 5.7% and 8%, (P = 0.50). Only 2.8% of patients needed an in-person visit following the telemedicine consult, and 1.9% visited the emergency department.

conclusionsIn the current pandemic, telemedicine follow-up can be safely and effectively performed in selected surgical patients. Patients who underwent laparoscopic and emergency procedures opted more for telemedicine than in-person follow-up.

Indexed as

COVID-19TelemedicineFollow-Up StudiesHumansPandemicsProspective StudiesSARS-CoV-2COVID-19 pandemicPostoperative careTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID33140151
PMCPMC7605475
OpenAlexW3096914020

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.