Can Telemedicine Be Used for Adolescent Postoperative Knee Arthroscopy Follow-up?

Approximately 350 adolescents have arthroscopic orthopaedic knee surgery at our institution per year. This study evaluated the efficacy of a telehealth (virtual) visit in clients between the ages of 10 and 20 years following this type of procedure performed at an outpatient surgery center. The study compared in-office visits to telemedicine visits done within 24 hours of each other, and demonstrated that home telemedicine visits have similar results when range of motion, incision color, and effusion size are evaluated. Additionally, this study demonstrated the preference for postoperative telemedicine appointments and established the feasibility of the telemedicine visit as a first postoperative follow-up in a clinic staffed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants.