Use of Physician-Guided Patient Self-Examination to Diagnose Appendicitis: A Telemedicine Case Report.

Publication Type Case Report
Authors Nachum S, Stern M, Greenwald P, Sharma R
Journal Telemed J E Health
Volume 25
Issue 8
Pagination 769-771
Date Published 09/07/2018
ISSN 1556-3669
Keywords Appendicitis, Mobile Applications, Telemedicine
Abstract Background:Direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine platforms have been increasingly implemented by large hospital systems. This care delivery mechanism shares similarities with bedside medical care, but also differs in key attributes such as the inability to perform a "hands-on" physical examination.Methods:We present a case of DTC telehealth evaluation that resulted in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis. The case of one female patient presenting to our urgent care mobile application and subsequently to the emergency department (ED) is discussed.Results:Physician-guided patient self-examination of the abdomen demonstrated concordance with findings on bedside physical examination in the ED, leading to the correct diagnosis of acute appendicitis.Conclusions:For the patient presented here, physician-guided patient self-examination resulted in appropriate referral to the ED and diagnosis of appendicitis. Additional research on the reproducibility of virtual physical examination findings and potential cost savings of telemedicine visits is warranted.
DOI 10.1089/tmj.2018.0115
PubMed ID 30192203
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