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The majority of patients who undergo routine, uncomplicated operations prefer online postoperative consultations to in-person visits, according to results from a new study published online as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website. The study will appear in the print publication of the Journal later this year.
In this prospective pilot study from Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn., researchers tracked 50 patients who completed both online and in-person visits after their operations. The patients underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, laparoscopic ventral hernia repair, umbilical hernia repair, or inguinal hernia repair. Seventy-six percent of this group said that online visits were acceptable as the only form of follow-up care. Further, the surgeons conducting the study said that for 68 percent of patients, online and in-person visits were equally effective; indicating that offering an option for online care may have largely impacted patient preferences.