Telemedicine and telementoring in the surgical specialties: A narrative review

The field of telemedicine has grown tremendously over the last decade. We present a systematic review of publications on telemedicine as it pertains to surgery, addressing six facets: 1) telerobotics, 2) telementoring, 3) teleconsulting, 4) telemedicine in post-operative follow-up, 5) tele-education...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of surgery 2019-10, Vol.218 (4), p.760-766
Main Authors: Huang, Eunice Y., Knight, Samantha, Guetter, Camila Roginski, Davis, Catherine Hambleton, Moller, Mecker, Slama, Eliza, Crandall, Marie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Data search
Education
Humans
Laparoscopy
Medical personnel
Mentoring
Patient safety
Specialties, Surgical - education
Studies
Surgeons
Surgery
Systematic review
Teaching
Technology
Teleconsulting
Telemedicine
Telementoring
Telerobotics
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Summary:The field of telemedicine has grown tremendously over the last decade. We present a systematic review of publications on telemedicine as it pertains to surgery, addressing six facets: 1) telerobotics, 2) telementoring, 3) teleconsulting, 4) telemedicine in post-operative follow-up, 5) tele-education, and 6) current technology. A search of relevant literature querying PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct was performed using the following keywords: telecommunication, telemedicine, telehealth, virtual health, virtual medicine, general surgery, surgery, surgical or surgical patients. Telemedicine is being used to care for patients in remote areas, to help expert surgeons assist other specialists in the office or novice surgeons in the operating room, as well as to help teach the next generation of surgeons. There are many opportunities for surgeons to utilize this technology to optimize their practice. •Telesurgery can help overcome geographic and resource constraints.•Telementoring is an effective method of transfering surgical knowledge and expertise.•Technologic advancements have facilitated education, consultation, and remote telesurgery. The use of telemedicine in surgical care has seen substantial growth over the last decade. This article provides a descriptive review of some significant innovations in the following areas pertaining to surgery: 1) telerobotics, 2) telementoring, 3) teleconsulting, 4) telemedicine in post-operative follow-up, 5) tele-education, and 6) current technology.
ISSN:0002-9610
1879-1883
DOI:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2019.07.018