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
COVID-19 and the rise of virtual medicine in spine surgery: a worldwide 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 12 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficiency of telephone triage in the assessment of low back pain at a tertiary spine clinic.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Observational
- Applications of mixed reality with medical imaging for training and clinical practice.Journal of medical imaging (Bellingham, Wash.) · 2024Review
- 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
- Impact on Spine Surgery during the First Two Years of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Study in South Korea.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Article
- [CiteSpace-Based Analysis of Hot Research Topics and Frontiers of Preclinical Dentistry Education].Sichuan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Sichuan University. Medical science edition · 2022Article
- XR (Extended Reality: Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Mixed Reality) Technology in Spine Medicine: Status Quo and Quo Vadis.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- COVID-19 and its Impact on Back Pain.Global spine journal · 2022Article
- Global research hotspots and trends in the field of spine surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic: A bibliometric and visual analysis.Frontiers in surgery · 2022Article
- Reflections on the future of telemedicine and virtual spinal clinics in the post COVID-19 era.Brain & spine · 2022Article
- The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Spine Surgery in Central Europe: A Questionnaire-Based Study.World neurosurgery · 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
15 authors at 10 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThe COVID-19 pandemic forced many surgeons to adopt "virtual medicine" practices, defined as telehealth services for patient care and online platforms for continuing medical education. The purpose of this study was to assess spine surgeon reliance on virtual medicine during the pandemic and to discuss the future of virtual medicine in spine surgery.
methodsA comprehensive survey addressing demographic data and virtual medicine practices was distributed to spine surgeons worldwide between March 27, 2020, and April 4, 2020.
results902 spine surgeons representing seven global regions responded. 35.6% of surgeons were identified as "high telehealth users," conducting more than half of clinic visits virtually. Predictors of high telehealth utilization included working in an academic practice (OR = 1.68, p = 0.0015) and practicing in Europe/North America (OR 3.42, p < 0.0001). 80.1% of all surgeons were interested in online education. Dedicating more than 25% of one's practice to teaching (OR = 1.89, p = 0.037) predicted increased interest in online education. 26.2% of respondents were identified as "virtual medicine surgeons," defined as surgeons with both high telehealth usage and increased interest in online education. Living in Europe/North America and practicing in an academic practice increased odds of being a virtual medicine surgeon by 2.28 (p = 0.002) and 1.15 (p = 0.0082), respectively. 93.8% of surgeons reported interest in a centralized platform facilitating surgeon-to-surgeon communication.
conclusionCOVID-19 has changed spine surgery by triggering rapid adoption of virtual medicine practices. The demonstrated global interest in virtual medicine suggests that it may become part of the "new normal" for surgeons in the post-pandemic era.
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Registered trials
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.