Diagnoses from preliminary telehealth consultations matched in-person visits in 86.9% of cases, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open.
The research included 2,393 Mayo Clinic patients who attended a video telemedicine visit, followed by an in-person appointment for the same problem in the same specialty within 90 days, Mobi Health News reports. Patients used desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones in their homes, while clinicians used desktop or laptop computers in offices without peripheral attachments or devices like stethoscopes, otoscopes or ophthalmoscopes.
Though the telehealth diagnosis was concordant with in-person care in 86.9% of cases overall, it did vary. The virtual diagnosis in specialty care cases agreed with the in-person decision in 88.4% of patients compared with only 81.3% in primary care. Concordance was lowest for otorhinolaryngology, or head and neck specialists, and highest in psychiatry. Read more.
