Pediatric Teleconsultation in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Three billion individuals worldwide are currently confined to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, since physical examinations are less present. Teleconsultation is the delivery of health care services using the phone, information or communication technology. In the current pandemic scenario, teleconsultation can supplement health-care delivery in the absence of in-person visit. Our study aimed to assess the efficiency and security of teleconsultation with only a smartphone to manage the flow of pediatric emergencies in Morocco. This prospective observational cohort study was conducted on the first 500 patients, who received a teleconsultation by contacting pediatricians by smartphone, using audio, videos or photos, during two months April and May 2020, the patients were calling from all Morocco. The average of age was 2 years and 4 months with extremes ranging from 4 days to 15 years. Gender: male-60.7% and female-39.3%. The communication type was written message-100%; Photos-15%; Voice mail-8%. Our attitude was give as Prescription-69%; Tips-43%; Specialist advice-15%; Emergencies-6%; Diet- 5%; Balance-5%; Consultation-4%; Radiological assessment-3%; Family treatment-1%. This study is the first to assess the utility of emergency pediatric teleconsultation with a simple smartphone application to manage emergency in a population with suddenly restrained access to pediatricians. This approach permitted us to preserve social distancing.