Utility of Telehealth Platforms Applied to Burns Management: A Systematic Review

Antonio García-Díaz (), Lluís Vilardell-Roig, David Novillo-Ortiz, Purificación Gacto-Sánchez, José Juan Pereyra-Rodríguez and Francesc Saigí-Rubió
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Antonio García-Díaz: Plastic Surgery and Major Burns Service, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, 41013 Seville, Spain
Lluís Vilardell-Roig: Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), 08018 Barcelona, Spain
David Novillo-Ortiz: Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, Regional Office for Europe, World Health Organization, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
Purificación Gacto-Sánchez: Plastic Surgery and Major Burns Service, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital, 41013 Seville, Spain
José Juan Pereyra-Rodríguez: Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), 08018 Barcelona, Spain
Francesc Saigí-Rubió: Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), 08018 Barcelona, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-14

Abstract: The financial burden of burn injuries has a considerable impact on patients and healthcare systems. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have demonstrated their utility in the improvement of clinical practice and healthcare systems. Because referral centres for burn injuries cover large geographic areas, many specialists must find new strategies, including telehealth tools for patient evaluation, teleconsultation, and remote monitoring. This systematic review was performed according to PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Cochrane, Medline, IBECS, and LILACS were the search engines used. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical trials, and observational studies were included in the study search. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO with the number CRD42022361137. In total, 37 of 185 studies queried for this study were eligible for the systematic review. Thirty studies were comparative observational studies, six were systematic reviews, and one was a randomised clinical trial. Studies suggest that telehealth allows better perception of triage, more accurate estimation of the TBSA, and resuscitation measures in the management of acute burns. In addition, some studies assess that TH tools are equivalent to face-to-face outpatient visits and cost-efficient because of transport savings and unnecessary referrals. However, more studies are required to provide significant evidence. However, the implementation of telehealth should be specifically adapted to each territory.

Keywords: telehealth; remote consultation; burns; cost–benefit analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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