Telephonic follow-up after day case pediatric surgery in an upper middle income country: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND: One third of South African children live in households with no employed adult. Telemedicine may save patients and the strained public health sector significant resources. We aimed to determine the safety and benefits of telephonic post-operative follow-up of patients who presented for day case surgery at CHBAH from 1 January-31 March 2023.

METHODS: A prospective descriptive study on patients undergoing day case surgery was performed. Healthy patients greater than 6 years old whose caregivers spoke English and had access to a smartphone were included. Data on the total number of telephonic follow-ups, operative complications, need for in person review, satisfaction with telephonic follow-up, and savings in transport costs and time by avoiding in person follow-up were collected.

RESULTS: A total of 38 telephonic follow-ups were performed. Six (15.8%) patients presented for in person review due to the detection of major complications (2, 5.3%), minor complications (2, 5.3%), and parental concern (2, 5.3%) during telephonic follow-up. All caregivers reported being satisfied with telephonic follow-up. Total savings in transport costs were R4452 (US $ 248.45). The majority of patients (29, 76.3%) had at least one unemployed parent. Seven caregivers (18.4%) avoided taking paid leave and 2 (5.3%) unpaid leave from work due to follow-up being performed telephonically.

CONCLUSIONS: Innovation is necessary in order to expand access to safe, affordable, and timely care. In this selected group, telephonic follow-up was a safe, acceptable, and cost-effective intervention. The expansion of such a program has the potential for significant savings for patients and the healthcare system.