Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36562886›Full record

ArticleDigestive diseases and sciences2023

Telephone-Only Visits Preserved Hepatocellular Cancer Screening Rates in Patients with Cirrhosis Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Sean Richard Rudnick, Judy Ugwuegbu, Stephen James Soufleris, Richa Bundy, Ajay Dharod, Mark William Russo

Abstract read
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Article in Digestive diseases and sciences, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

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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

6 authors.

Sean Richard RudnickDepartment of Internal Medicine, Section on Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC, 27157, USA. srudnick@wakehealth.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4635-1434
Judy UgwuegbuWake Forest School of Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
Stephen James SouflerisDepartment of Internal Medicine, Section on Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC, 27157, USA.
Richa BundyDepartment of Internal Medicine Informatics & Analytics Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
Ajay DharodDepartment of Internal Medicine Informatics & Analytics Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
Mark William RussoDivision of Hepatology, Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, Charlotte, NC, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic required an immediate and large-scale transition to telemedicine. Telemedicine includes phone visits and video visits. Studies suggest that hepatocellular cancer (HCC) screening rates fell at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. If left unaddressed, HCC morbidity/mortality may increase following the pandemic due to inadequate screening.

aimsTo assess the impact of phone-only visits on HCC screening rates in patients with cirrhosis.

methodsUtilizing ICD-10 codes, 2 cohorts of patients with cirrhosis were identified. The pre-pandemic cohort had index visit between 1/1/2019 and 6/30/2019 (n = 290). The pandemic cohort (n = 112) was evaluated between 4/7/2020 and 6/7/2020. Each cohort was followed for 6 months from their index visit to determine HCC screening rate. Demographics and socioeconomic data from the American Community Survey database were compiled and compared between the cohorts.

resultsHCC screening rates in the pre-pandemic and pandemic cohorts were 72.4% and 69.6%, respectively, p = 0.67. No differences in HCC screening rates were observed between the two cohorts when stratified by demographic and socioeconomic factors.

conclusionsUse of phone-only visits was associated with adherence to HCC screening similar to that seen with in-person visits. The lack of influence on screening rates by racial/socioeconomic factors suggest telephone-only visits do not exacerbate healthcare disparities. In times of public health of crisis, telephone-only visits may provide the necessary access to hepatology care to ensure HCC screening regimens remain in-place for at-risk patients.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, HepatocellularCOVID-19Liver NeoplasmsTelemedicineEarly Detection of CancerHumansLiver CirrhosisPandemicsTelephoneCOVID-19 pandemicHepatocellular cancerScreeningTelehealth

Identifiers

PMID36562886
PMCPMC9780624

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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.