A prospective, multisite study analyzing the percentage of urological cases that can be completely managed by telemedicine

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of telemedicine due to confinement measures However, the percentage of outpatient urological cases that could be managed completely by telemedicine outside of the COVID-19 pandemic remains to be determined We conducted a prospective, multisite study involving all urologists working in the region of Quebec City Methods: During the first four weeks of the regional confinement, 18 pediatric and adult urologists were asked to determine, after each telemedicine appointment, if it translated into a complete (CCM), incomplete (ICM), or suboptimal case management (SCM, adequate only in the context of the pandemic) Results: A total of 1679 appointments representing all urological areas were registered Overall, 67 6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 65 3;69 8), 27 1% (25 0;29 3), and 4 3% (3 5;5 4) were reported as CCM, SCM, and ICM, respectively The CCM ratio varied according to the reason for consultation, with cancer suspicion (52 9% [42 9;62 8]) and pediatric reasons (38 0% [30 0;46 6]) showing the lowest CCM percentages CCM percentages also varied significantly based on the setting where it was performed, ranging from 61 1% (private clinic) to 86 8% (endourology and general hospital) Conclusions: We show that two-thirds of all urological outpatient cases could be completely managed by telemedicine outside of the pandemic After the pandemic, it will be important to incorporate telemedicine as an alternative for a patient's first or followup visit, especially those with geographical, pathological, and socioeconomic considerations