Implementation and user satisfaction of a comprehensive telemedicine approach for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 self-sampling: a monocentric, prospective, interventional, open-label, controlled, two-arm feasibility study (Preprint)

Le résumé fourni par la source

UNSTRUCTURED Background: The universal availability of smartphones has created new opportunities for innovative telemedicine applications in healthcare. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has heightened the demand for contactless healthcare services, making severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing a crucial component of pandemic containment. Objective: This feasibility study aimed to examine a comprehensive telemedicine approach for SARS-CoV-2 testing. Methods: The study process involved shipping self-sampling kits, providing instructions for at-home sample collection, processing biomaterials (swabs, capillary blood), communicating test results, and providing interoperable data for clinical routine and research through a medical mobile app. One hundred individuals were randomly assigned to either the conventional healthcare professional (HCP)-performed SARS-CoV-2 testing group (conventional testing group, CG) or the telemedicine-guided SARS-CoV-2 self-sampling approach (telemedicine group, TG). Feasibility of the TG approach, user satisfaction, user-centered outcomes, and economic aspects were assessed and compared between the groups. Results: In the TG group, 47 individuals (95%) received a self-sampling kit via mail. Thirty-seven (76%) individuals successfully returned at least one sample for diagnostics. SARS-CoV-2 PCR tests were conducted in 35 (95%) of TG cases compared to 44 (88%) in the CG. Users in the TG reported high satisfaction levels with ease of use (5.2/7), interface satisfaction (5.2/7), and usefulness (4.3/7). A micro-costing model indicated a slightly higher cost for the TG approach than the CG approach. The TG facilitated interoperable data transmission by providing anonymized, standardized data sets for extraction using health level7-Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources. This supports the national COVID-19 data exchange platform and facilitates epidemiological evaluation based on the German COVID Consensus dataset. Conclusion: Integrating a telemedicine-based approach to SARS-CoV-2 testing into an existing hospital data infrastructure is feasible, creating possibilities for broader use of mobile apps in medical care and potentially promoting future user satisfaction and treatment quality.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.