Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40842030›Full record

ArticleBMC rheumatology2025

The impact of virtual rheumatology care on patient outcomes and hospital admissions: an ambispective study.

Ummugulsum Gazel, Tommy Han, Seyyid Bilal Acikgoz, Tara Swami, Ricardo Sabido-Sauri, Hart Goldhar, Nataliya Milman, Nancy Maltez, Catherine Ivory, Susan Humphrey-Murto and 1 more

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Article in BMC rheumatology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

11 authors.

Ummugulsum Gazel *Division of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada. gulsumoguz@hotmail.com.
Tommy Han *Division of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Seyyid Bilal AcikgozDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Tara SwamiDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Ricardo Sabido-SauriDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Hart GoldharDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Nataliya MilmanDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Nancy MaltezDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Catherine IvoryDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Susan Humphrey-MurtoDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
Sibel AydinDivision of Rheumatology, University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe impact of virtual care on clinical outcomes, healthcare resources and long-term patient satisfaction will help to inform healthcare providers. We aimed to evaluate the impact of virtual rheumatology care on patients’ clinical outcomes and healthcare utilization.

methodsPatients who had at least a phone-visit during the early-pandemic and enrolled in a previous survey were invited to attend this study. Through patient surveys and review of medical charts, patients’ clinical outcomes were collected, face-to-face visits in the pre-COVID-19 era (Jan 2019, 2020) and virtual care visits (VCV) in the pandemic period (Mar 2020-June 2021).

resultsWithin 226 patients, the total number of rheumatology (median (IQR): 2 (2–3) vs. 3 [2, 3, 4], p < 0.001), emergency visits (19% vs. 29.3%, p:0.006) and hospital admissions (12.9% vs. 20.8%, p:0.015) due to any cause were increased during the pandemic, whereas there was no increased ER visit or admissions due to their rheumatological disease. Around 1/3 of patients reported being on more pain medication during the COVID-19-period. Failed VCV, requiring an additional in-person-visit within 60 days, was observed in 23 (8.3%) patients and 25 (3.1%) of 800 VCV. Close to 50% of the patients with failed-VCV were treated with additional steroid therapies during the pandemic. DISCUSSION: Our results support ongoing VCV with no increased healthcare utilization and a low rate of failed visits. These findings suggest that virtual care is here to stay for some patients and in some circumstances, and it is important to establish algorithms for implementing it to healthcare system. Our results provide evidence to inform insurers’ decision-making regarding virtual care.

Identifiers

PMID40842030
PMCPMC12369144

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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.