Telemedicine for postoperative reviews
Reviewed by Hetvi Bhatt

This is a detailed study looking at the use of telemedicine in the context of a postoperative review following oculoplastic and orbital surgery. The authors combined a video consultation (telephone if there were technical issues) with a ‘pre-visit tool’ that collected information on visual acuity using paper or smartphone app, a self-guided history and facial photography. They report that photograph quality was better than video, and in the majority of cases it was safe to carry out a postoperative review using telemedicine. Patients reported a subjective saving of two hours on average and were spared an average 70.5 miles of travelling. Telemedicine came into its own during the COVID-19 pandemic, however with the relaxation of social distancing many services have reverted to the pre-pandemic way of working. However, given the savings for the patient and the ever increasing waiting lists in the NHS, investing in more telemedicine services may be the way forward.

Augmentation of telemedicine postoperative follow-up after oculofacial plastic surgery with a self-guided patient tool.
Ashraf DC, Miller A, Ahmad M, et al.
ORBIT
2023;42(4):372-82.