Effectiveness of Telemedicine for Treating Asthmatic Patients at Chumphae Hospital
Keywords:
pediatric asthma, easy asthma clinic, outpatients, telemedicineAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of treating pediatric asthma patients at Chumphae Hospital by comparing pre- and post-treatment outcomes using telemedicine, following the asthma treatment guidelines.
Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of analytical comparison of treatment outcomes between two different approaches over two time periods. It uses the initial period as the control group and employs retrospective data collection in patients under 15 years old who received treatment at the Easy Asthma Clinic of Chumphae Hospital. The study involved 150 outpatient cases (OPD) who received treatment between May 1, 2020, and May 1, 2021. These patients were regularly monitored every 2-3 months, and during the COVID-19 pandemic situation, their treatment was shifted to telemedicine. Physicians conducted symptom assessments through phone calls every 2-3 months based on the initial appointments, resulting in continuous treatment for one year from May 1, 2021, to May 1, 2022.
Results: The study involved 150 pediatric patients who sought treatment at Chumphae Hospital due to asthma. Out of these, 105 (70%) were male and 45 (30%) were female. The average age was found to be 7.2 ± 2.5 years, with an average age of first asthma onset at 3.7 years. Upon comparing the treatment outcomes of asthma patients in both outpatient and telemedicine settings, it was found that telemedicine yielded significantly better treatment results in terms of disease control, the occurrence of asthma exacerbations over a 12-month period, wheezing episodes, daily-life symptoms, and hospitalizations within the past 12 months (p< 0.05), except for medication compliance where the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.086).
Conclusion: Telemedicine, involving regular phone consultations with physicians, is a more effective approach for managing asthma symptoms in pediatric patients, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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