ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2021
Spine surgeon perceptions of the challenges and benefits of telemedicine: an international study.
Article in 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, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficiency of telephone triage in the assessment of low back pain at a tertiary spine clinic.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Observational
- To Zoom or not to Zoom? A retrospective comparative study to assess the validity of video versus face-to-face consultations and examinations for diagnosing lower back pain in Wales.Asian spine journal · 2025Article
- The legal and socioeconomic considerations of spine telemedicine in Canada.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2025Review
- Interobserver Agreement and Satisfaction With the use of Telemedicine for Evaluating low Back Pain: A Primary, Observational, Cross-Sectional, Analytical Study.Global spine journal · 2025Article
- Family-centered care: addressing challenges and implementing countermeasures in response to novel coronavirus pneumonia prevention and control-a narrative review.Journal of thoracic disease · 2024Review
- Assessing the Usability and Effectiveness of an AI-Powered Telehealth Platform: Mixed Methods Study on the Perspectives of Patients and Providers.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Healthcare professional and manager perceptions on drivers, benefits, and challenges of telemedicine: results from a cross-sectional survey in the Italian NHS.BMC health services research · 2023Article
- Feasibility and effectiveness of telehealth in the management of cervicothoracic and lumbar pain during the first six months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: A case series.Interventional pain medicine · 2023Article
- Feasibility Using Telehealth for Planning Use of Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy in a Sports Medicine Clinic.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Telemedicine and the environment: life cycle environmental emissions from in-person and virtual clinic visits.NPJ digital medicine · 2023Article
- A profile of patients' and doctors' perceptions, acceptance, and utilization of e-health in a deprived region in southwestern China.PLOS digital health · 2023Article
- The financial implications of telemedicine practice patterns across pediatric surgical specialties.Journal of pediatric surgery · 2022Article
- Response to Letter to the Editor "Telemedicine in Spine Surgery During COVID-19".Global spine journal · 2022Article
- Telemedicine in Neurosurgical Trauma during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single-Center Experience.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Reflections on the future of telemedicine and virtual spinal clinics in the post COVID-19 era.Brain & spine · 2022Article
- COVID-19 and its Impact on Back Pain.Global spine journal · 2022Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Spine Surgery in Central Europe: A Questionnaire-Based Study.World neurosurgery · 2021Article
- COVID-19 pandemic and evolution of telemedicine to TeleIME.Forensic sciences research · 2021Article
- Telemedicine use by neurosurgeons due to the COVID-19 related lockdown.Brain & spine · 2021Article
- The distribution and psychological distress related to COVID-19 of spine patients in a Grade-A tertiary hospital in Anhui province, China.Science progressArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
19 authors at 12 institutions in 6 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionWhile telemedicine usage has increased due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there remains little consensus about how spine surgeons perceive virtual care. The purpose of this study was to explore international perspectives of spine providers on the challenges and benefits of telemedicine.
methodsResponses from 485 members of AO Spine were analyzed, covering provider perceptions of the challenges and benefits of telemedicine. All questions were optional, and blank responses were excluded from analysis.
resultsThe leading challenges reported by surgeons were decreased ability to perform physical examinations (38.6%), possible increased medicolegal exposure (19.3%), and lack of reimbursement parity compared to traditional visits (15.5%). Fewer than 9.0% of respondents experienced technological issues. On average, respondents agreed that telemedicine increases access to care for rural/long-distance patients, provides societal cost savings, and increases patient convenience. Responses were mixed about whether telemedicine leads to greater patient satisfaction. North Americans experienced the most challenges, but also thought telemedicine carried the most benefits, whereas Africans reported the fewest challenges and benefits. Age did not affect responses.
conclusionSpine surgeons are supportive of the benefits of telemedicine, and only a small minority experienced technical issues. The decreased ability to perform the physical examination was the top challenge and remains a major obstacle to virtual care for spine surgeons around the world, although interestingly, 61.4% of providers did not acknowledge this to be a major challenge. Significant groundwork in optimizing remote physical examination maneuvers and achieving legal and reimbursement clarity is necessary for widespread implementation.
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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.