Perioperative Telemedicine Utilization Among Geriatric Patients Being Evaluated for Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and Hernia Repair

Introduction: Perioperative telemedicine services have increasingly been utilized for ambulatory care, although concerns exist regarding the feasibility of virtual consultations for older patients. We sought to review telemedicine encounters for geriatric patients evaluated at a hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction center. Methods: A retrospective review of telemedicine encounters between May 2020 and May 2021 was performed. Patient characteristics and encounter-specific outcomes were compared among geriatric (older than65 years old) and nongeriatric patients. Clinical care plans for encounters were reviewed to determine potential downstream care utilization. Patient-derived benefits related to time saved in travel time was calculated using geo-mapping. Outcomes for postoperative encounters were assessed to determine if complication rates differed between geriatric and nongeriatric populations. Results: A total of 313 telemedicine encounters (geriatric: 41.9%) were conducted among 251 patients. Reviewing preoperative factors for hernia care, geriatric patients presented with higher rates of recurrent or incisional hernias (87.9% vs. 70.7%, p < 0.01). Potential travel time was longer for geriatric patients (104 min vs. 42 min, p = 0.03) in the preoperative setting. No differences in clinical care plans were found. Only 8.6% of preoperative encounters resulted in recommendations for supplemental in-person evaluation. Operative plans were coordinated for 42.5% of all preoperative telemedicine encounters. There was no difference in complication rate between geriatric and nongeriatric patients (p > 0.05) in the postoperative setting, with no complications directly attributable to telemedicine-based care. Conclusions: Telemedicine-based evaluations appear to function well among geriatric patients seeking hernia repair and abdominal wall reconstruction. Clinical care plans rendered following telemedicine-based encounters are appropriate with a low rate of supplemental in-person evaluations. Telemedicine use resulted in significantly more time saved in commuting to and from clinic for geriatric patients.