Telephone consultations in the sedation assessment pathway:impact on service provision

摘要

Can telephone consultations help optimise patient care pathways and service delivery?In March 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic alert for coronavirus (COVID-19).1 Lockdown measures prompted a push for remote consultations to minimise unnecessary footfall in clinical settings, one such method being by telephone. Prior to the pandemic, international use of telephone consultations was already established; a quarter of primary care consultations in the US were carried out by telephone.2 As a consequence of COVID-19, there has been a greater shift towards implementing virtual healthcare models. Surveys have demonstrated increased patient acceptance of telemedicine and it is therefore likely that telephone consultations will continue to be used where appropriate.3