TY - JOUR
T1 - Establishing a Telemedicine Program for Breast Reconstruction
AU - Xue, Erica Y.
AU - Chu, Carrie K.
AU - Winocour, Sebastian
AU - Cen, Nicholas
AU - Reece, Edward
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.
PY - 2020/3/1
Y1 - 2020/3/1
N2 - Telemedicine is an application of modern technology that allows for the remote delivery of healthcare services to diagnose and treat patients. The potential patient benefits of such a program include added convenience, lowered costs, and improved access. From a practical standpoint, establishing a telemedicine program may seem daunting to the plastic surgeon; success requires not only patient and provider adoption, but also integration of new technology. Despite these challenges, breast reconstruction patients are among those who stand to benefit most from telemedicine technology, as this patient population remains vulnerable to limitations to access following an emotion-provoking breast cancer diagnosis. Geographical limitation, especially in rural areas, represents a major barrier to access. To date, the application of telemedicine in caring for breast reconstruction patients has not been described in the literature. In this article, we describe the protocol developed and implemented by our academic plastic surgery group to care for new breast reconstruction candidates and discuss the role of telemedicine in improved access to breast reconstruction care.
AB - Telemedicine is an application of modern technology that allows for the remote delivery of healthcare services to diagnose and treat patients. The potential patient benefits of such a program include added convenience, lowered costs, and improved access. From a practical standpoint, establishing a telemedicine program may seem daunting to the plastic surgeon; success requires not only patient and provider adoption, but also integration of new technology. Despite these challenges, breast reconstruction patients are among those who stand to benefit most from telemedicine technology, as this patient population remains vulnerable to limitations to access following an emotion-provoking breast cancer diagnosis. Geographical limitation, especially in rural areas, represents a major barrier to access. To date, the application of telemedicine in caring for breast reconstruction patients has not been described in the literature. In this article, we describe the protocol developed and implemented by our academic plastic surgery group to care for new breast reconstruction candidates and discuss the role of telemedicine in improved access to breast reconstruction care.
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U2 - 10.1097/GOX.0000000000002594
DO - 10.1097/GOX.0000000000002594
M3 - Article
C2 - 32537322
AN - SCOPUS:85112371701
SN - 2169-7574
VL - 8
SP - e2594
JO - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open
JF - Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery - Global Open
IS - 3
ER -