telehealth; telemedicine; vascular medicine; Medicine (all)
Abstract :
[en] Background: Telemedicine is increasingly used in several fields of healthcare, including vascular medicine. This study aimed to investigate the views of experts and propose clinical practice recommendations on the possible applications of telemedicine in vascular medicine. Methods: A clinical guidance group proposed a set of 67 clinical practice recommendations based on the synthesis of current evidence and expert opinion. The Telemedicine Vascular Medicine Working Group included 32 experts from Europe evaluating the appropriateness of each clinical practice recommendation based on published RAND/UCLA methodology in two rounds. Results: In the first round, 60.9% of clinical practice recommendations were rated as appropriate, 35.9% as uncertain, and 3.1% as inappropriate. The strongest agreement (a median value of 10) was reached on statements regarding the usefulness of telemedicine during the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, its usefulness for geographical areas that are difficult to access, and the superiority of video calls compared to phone calls only. The lowest degree of agreement (a median value of 2) was reported on statements regarding the utility of telemedicine being limited to the COVID-19 pandemic and regarding the applicability of teleconsultation in the diagnosis and management of abdominal aortic aneurysm. In the second round, 11 statements were re-evaluated to reduce variability. Conclusions: This study highlights the levels of agreement and the points that raise concern on the use of telemedicine in vascular medicine. It emphasizes the need for further clarification on various issues, including infrastructure, logistics, and legislation.
Disciplines :
Cardiovascular & respiratory systems
Author, co-author :
Pillon, Sergio ; ASL Frosinone, 03100 Frosinone, Italy
Gomatou, Georgia ; Third Department of Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Dimakakos, Evangelos ; Third Department of Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Stanek, Agata ; Department and Clinic of Internal Medicine, Angiology and Physical Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland
Pecsvarady, Zsolt; Second Department of Internal Medicine (Vascular Center), Flor Ferenc Teaching Hospital, 2143 Budapest, Hungary
Kozak, Matija; Department of Vascular Diseases, Division of Internal Medicine, University Medical Centre, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Wautrecht, Jean-Claude; Department of Vascular Diseases, Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1070 Brussels, Belgium
Farkas, Katalin ; Department of Angiology, Szent Imre University Teaching Hospital, Tétényi út 12-16, 1115 Budapest, Hungary
Schernthaner, Gerit-Holger; Department of Medicine II, Division of Angiology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Catalano, Mariella ; Department of Biomedical Science, Inter-University Research Center on Vascular Disease, L. Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy
Blinc, Aleš ; Department of Vascular Diseases, University Medical Centre Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia ; Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Gerotziafas, Grigorios ; Sorbonne University, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unit 938, Research Group Cancer, Biology and Therapeutics, Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine (CRSA), Institut Universitaire de Cancérologie, 75012 Paris, France
Poredoš, Pavel; Department for Vascular Disease, University Clinical Center, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
De Marchi, Sergio; Division of Angiology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
Gschwandtner, Michael E; Department of Medical Angiology, Medical University Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Kolossváry, Endre; Department of Angiology, St. Imre University Teaching Hospital, 1115 Budapest, Hungary
Sprynger, Muriel ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques
Fazeli, Bahar; Immunology Research Center, Inflammation and Inflammatory Diseases Division, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad 9177948564, Iran
Liew, Aaron; Portiuncula University Hospital, Soalta University Health Care Group, National University of Ireland Gaway (NUIG), H91 TK33 Galway, Ireland
Marschang, Peter ; Department of Internal Medicine, Central Hospital of Bolzano (SADES-ASDAA), Teaching Hospital of Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), I-39100 Bolzano, Italy
Szuba, Andrzej; Department of Angiology and Internal Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland
Suput, Dusan ; Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Edmonds, Michael; Diabetic Foot Clinic, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK
Manu, Chris; Diabetic Foot Clinic, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK
Schaefer, Christian Alexander; Department of Internal Medicine II-Pneumology/Cardiology/Angiology, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany
Marakomichelakis, George ; 4th Department of Internal Medicine, Evangelismos Hospital, 16676 Athens, Greece
Vrkić Kirhmajer, Majda ; Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, University of Zagreb School of Medicine, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Spaak, Jonas ; Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, SE-182 88 Stockholm, Sweden
Kotteas, Elias ; Third Department of Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Lessiani, Gianfranco; Angiology Unit, Villa Serena Hospital, AUSL 3, 65121 Pescara, Italy
Colgan, Mary Paola; Department of Vascular Surgery, St. James Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland
Righini, Marc ; Division of Angiology and Hemostasis, Faculty of Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, CH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland
Lichtenberg, Michael; Vascular Center, Klinikum Hochsauerland, 59759 Arnsberg, Germany
Schlager, Oliver; Department of Internal Medicine II, Division of Angiology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
Canning, Caitriona; Department of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, St. James's Hospital D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland
Marcoccia, Antonella; UOSD Medicina Vascolare-Autoimmunità-CRIIS Centro di Riferimento Sclerosi Sistemica Osp. S. Pertini-ASL Roma, 00157 Rome, Italy
Kollias, Anastasios ; Third Department of Medicine, Sotiria General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Spreafico, Alberta ; Digital Health & Innovation, Healthware Group, 20125 Milan, Italy
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