Telemedicine in Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery: An Effective Alternative in Post COVID-19 Pandemic

Ida Barca, Daniela Novembre, Elio Giofrè, Davide Caruso, Raffaella Cordaro, Elvis Kallaverja, Francesco Ferragina and Maria Giulia Cristofaro
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Ida Barca: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Daniela Novembre: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Elio Giofrè: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Davide Caruso: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Raffaella Cordaro: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Elvis Kallaverja: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Francesco Ferragina: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy
Maria Giulia Cristofaro: Maxillo-Facial Surgery Unit, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Viale Europa, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-11

Abstract: The aim of this work was to demonstrate the advantages of using telemedicine (TM) in the management of the outpatients with maxillofacial surgical pathologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was conducted at the MaxilloFacial Surgery Unit of “Magna Graecia” University of Catanzaro, on two different groups of patients: a group of follow-up patients (A 1 : patients in oncological follow-up after surgical treatment performed before the COVID-19 pandemic; A 2 : suffering from chronic lesions such as precancerous lesions), and a group B of patients with first urgent visits (B 1 : patients with suspected oncological pathology; B 2 : patients with suspected urgent disease such as medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ), odontogenic abscesses, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) dislocation, etc.). Participation in the study required possession of a smartphone with Internet access, e-mail and the use of a messaging service (WhatsApp or Telegram) to send photos and messages; completion by the patient of a COVID-19 screening questionnaire; submission of a satisfaction questionnaire by the doctors and patients. A total of 90 patients were included in this study. A high percentage of satisfaction emerged from the analysis of the satisfaction questionnaires of both patients and doctors.TM thus represents an excellent opportunity to improve accessibility to oncological and non-management activities, reducing the risk of Covid-19 dissemination and should be promoted and implemented in the post-pandemic era.

Keywords: coronavirus; maxillofacial surgery; telemedicine; telephone interview; intraoral photography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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