SynthesisAnnals of surgery2023
Use of Telemedicine for Postdischarge Assessment of the Surgical Wound: International Cohort Study, and Systematic Review With Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Annals of surgery, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed.
- A Perioperative Quality Improvement Program for Cesarean Delivery in Ethiopia: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2024Trial
- Accuracy of the Wound Healing Questionnaire in the diagnosis of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery in low- and middle-income countries.The British journal of surgery · 2024Trial
- Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis.The British journal of surgery · 2023Trial
- Smartphone-Based Postoperative Wound Assessment Following Laparoscopic Surgery in a Resource-Limited Setting: A Prospective Cohort Study.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Study protocol for OtoSurg 1: A prospective evaluation of worldwide tonsillectomy indications, techniques, and outcomes.PloS one · 2026Article
- Pandemic shadows in the operating room how COVID-19 altered the risk and timing of surgical site infections: a multivariable risk assessment and time-to-event analysis in a cohort of abdominal surgery patients.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Remote assessment of surgical site infection (SSI) using patient-taken wound images: Development and evaluation of a method for research and routine practice.Journal of tissue viability · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to determine whether remote wound reviews using telemedicine can be safely upscaled, and if standardized assessment tools are needed.
backgroundSurgical site infection (SSI) is the most common complication of surgery worldwide, and frequently occurs after hospital discharge. Evidence to support implementation of telemedicine during postoperative recovery will be an essential component of pandemic recovery.
methodsThe primary outcome of this study was SSI reported up to 30 days after surgery (SSI), comparing rates reported using telemedicine (telephone and/or video assessment) to those with in-person review. The first part of this study analyzed primary data from an international cohort study of adult patients undergoing abdominal surgery who were discharged from hospital before 30 days after surgery. The second part combined this data with the results of a systematic review to perform a meta-analysis of all available data conducted in accordance with PRIMSA guidelines (PROSPERO:192596).
resultsThe cohort study included 15,358 patients from 66 countries (8069 high, 4448 middle, 1744 low income). Of these, 6907 (45.0%) were followed up using telemedicine. The SSI rate reported using telemedicine was slightly lower than with in-person follow-up (13.4% vs 11.1%, P <0.001), which persisted after risk adjustment in a mixed-effects model (adjusted odds ratio: 0.73, 95% confidence interval: 0.63-0.84, P <0.001). This association was consistent across sensitivity and subgroup analyses, including a propensity-score matched model. In 9 eligible nonrandomized studies identified, a pooled mean of 64% of patients underwent telemedicine follow-up. Upon meta-analysis, the SSI rate reported was lower with telemedicine (odds ratio: 0.67, 0.47-0.94) than in-person (reference) follow-up ( I2 =0.45, P =0.12), although there a high risk of bias in included studies.
conclusionsUse of telemedicine to assess the surgical wound postdischarge is feasible, but risks underreporting of SSI. Standardized tools for remote assessment of SSI must be evaluated and adopted as telemedicine is upscaled globally.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.