Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35687404›Full record

ArticleInteractive journal of medical research2022

The Logistics of Medication and Patient Flow in Video-Based Virtual Clinics During a Sudden COVID-19 Outbreak in Taiwan: Observational Study.

Ying-Hsien Chen, Hui-Wen Wu, Ching-Chang Huang, Jen-Kuang Lee, Li-Tan Yang, Tse-Pin Hsu, Chi-Sheng Hung, Yi-Lwun Ho

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Interactive journal of medical research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 37% 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

1 citing paper in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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

8 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ying-Hsien Chen *Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2746-4967
Hui-Wen Wu *Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4565-250X
Ching-Chang HuangDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8733-6217
Jen-Kuang LeeDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3790-484X
Li-Tan YangDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6341-5735
Tse-Pin HsuDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1625-2504
Chi-Sheng HungDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0158-7232
Yi-Lwun HoDepartment of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8936-9570
National Taiwan University Hospital · TW

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic was well controlled in Taiwan until an outbreak in May 2021. Telemedicine was rapidly implemented to avoid further patient exposure and to unload the already burdened medical system.

objectiveTo understand the effect of COVID-19 on the implementation of video-based virtual clinic visits during this outbreak, we analyzed the logistics of prescribing medications and patient flow for such virtual visits at a tertiary medical center.

methodsWe retrospectively collected information on video-based virtual clinic visits and face-to-face outpatient visits from May 1 to August 31, 2021, from the administrative database at National Taiwan University Hospital. The number of daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Taiwan was obtained from an open resource.

resultsThere were 782 virtual clinic visits during these 3 months, mostly for the departments of internal medicine, neurology, and surgery. The 3 most common categories of medications prescribed were cardiovascular, diabetic, and gastrointestinal, of which cardiovascular medications comprised around one-third of all medications prescribed during virtual clinic visits. The number of virtual clinic visits was significantly correlated with the number of daily new confirmed COVID-19 cases, with approximately a 20-day delay (correlation coefficient 0.735; P<.001). The patient waiting time for video-based virtual clinic visits was significantly shorter compared with face-to-face clinic visits during the same period (median 3, IQR 2-6 min vs median 20, IQR 9-42 min; rank sum P<.001). Although the time saved was appreciated by the patients, online payment with direct delivery of medications without the need to visit a hospital was still their major concern.

conclusionsOur data showed that video-based virtual clinics can be implemented rapidly after a COVID-19 outbreak. The virtual clinics were efficient, as demonstrated by the significantly reduced waiting time. However, there are still some barriers to the large-scale implementation of video-based virtual clinics. Better preparation is required to improve performance in possible future large outbreaks.

Indexed as

COVID-19telemedicinevideo-based virtual clinic

Identifiers

PMID35687404
PMCPMC9191329
OpenAlexW4282919949

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.