Telemedicine Consultations in Pediatrics — the Structure and Analysis

Abstract

Aim: To analyze the content of requests for telemedicine consultations (TMC), received by the National Medical Research Center for Children's Health, and suggest possible steps to perfect it. Design: Retrospective study. Material and methods. We analyzed the content of 167 TMC requests for patients with “general pediatric profile” received in 2021 and 2022. Results. Among requests for TMC the majority (43.1%) were for “non-explainable” fever in adolescents 9–17 years of age — with clear signs of a fictitious fever. Similar number of requests were for children with a low grade fever (37,0–37,5°C) that had been vainly investigated to find out the disease causing it. Of 4 children with Kawasaki syndrome only in one it had been suspected at the late stage. Requests for respiratory disease (37.1%) were mostly for their chronic forms. Pediatricians seem not to be conversant with chronic food aspiration syndromes’ diagnosis and management, including that in patient with neurologic conditions. Rare disease and/or unusual symptoms, as well as management of problem patients with known disease were less often the subject of TMC (12 и 7.8% respectively). Conclusion. We could state that pediatric hospitals have extensive diagnostic potential — except bacteriology that has to be upgrade. At the same time there is a tendency of pediatricians to conduct in problem cases multiple non-directional analyses and investigations, incorrectly interpret their results, as well as voluntarily formulate diagnoses. There is a need to do away with excessive and non-recommended use of antibiotics, IV infusion of “desintoxication” solutions, as well as polypharmacy. For the improvement of TMC it seems important to foresee the inclusion into TMS requests data on the disease progression as well as on the dynamics of relevant clinical and paraclinical parameters; the results of analyses and instrumental investigations should be put into addendum. There should be a feedback mechanism — a response to TMC with an appraisal of its effectivity. Keywords: telemedicine, telemedicine consultations in pediatrics.