Telemedicine in postoperative monitoring of patients after hernioplasty

The objective is to determine its impact on complication rates, response time of healthcare providers, patient satisfaction, and economic feasibility.

Object and research methods. The study included 156 patients who underwent hernioplasty. They were divided into two groups: traditional postoperative monitoring with in-person visits to a doctor (n=87) and remote monitoring using telemedicine (n=69), which included video consultations, mobile applications, and online chats. A retrospective analysis of medical records, prospective follow-up for three months, patient surveys, economic analysis, and statistical data processing were conducted.

Results. The results showed that the complication rate was lower in the telemedicine group (10.1% vs 21.8%; p=0.036), the physician response time was reduced from 24.6 to 3.8 hours (p<0.001), and the number of unplanned doctor visits decreased (0.9 vs 2.4; p<0.001). Additionally, telemedicine monitoring reduced patient financial expenses by almost half (p<0.001).

Conclusion. The findings confirm that telemedicine is an effective and economically viable method of postoperative monitoring that reduces complication rates, decreases the need for in-person visits, improves access to medical care, and enhances patient satisfaction.

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