Postoperative anaesthesia follow-up via telemedicine after outpatient surgery: a proof-of-concept study.
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany. [email protected].
- 2Docs in Clouds TeleCare GmbH, Vaalser Straße 460, 52074, Aachen, Germany. [email protected].
- 3Department of Anaesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
- 4Docs in Clouds TeleCare GmbH, Vaalser Straße 460, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
Abstract
Background
Postoperative anaesthesia visits after inpatient procedures guarantee a comprehensive assessment of the patient's status. As the number of outpatient surgical cases in hospitals increases, more patients are recovering at home. Telemedicine may provide an efficient and effective link between anaesthesiologists and patients at home without restricting their freedom and self-determination.Methods
After an initial acceptance survey, a single-arm, observational pilot study piloted an optional postoperative anaesthesia visit for patients undergoing outpatient surgery under general anaesthesia. It was implemented using videochats and patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) questionnaires.Results
Of the 300 people initially surveyed in the initial acceptance survey, nearly two-thirds (62.0%) expressed interest in using videochats to contact an anaesthesiologist after discharge. One hundred patients (n = 100) were included in the subsequent observational pilot study. The offer of an optional postoperative visit was used by 65 participants (n = 65, 65%). Videochats were considered a reliable tool for communicating medical issues and perceived as superior to telephone calls. The use of PROM questionnaires was considered meaningful by more than 80% of participants. Sixty-two of the sixty-five participants considered the postoperative anaesthesia visit a useful and beneficial part of the treatment and recovery process.Conclusions
Postoperative anaesthesia visits via videochat combined with PROM questionnaires after outpatient surgery were successfully piloted and consistently perceived positively by participants. Telemedicine-assisted postoperative anaesthesia visits may be a feasible component of patient-centred care in settings with limited resources.Trial registration
German Clinical Trials Register; https://drks.de/search/en; registration number: DRKS00028755, registration date: 26th January 2023.
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BibTeX
@article{huerter2026postoperative,
title = {{Postoperative anaesthesia follow-up via telemedicine after outpatient surgery: a proof-of-concept study.}},
author = {Benedikt Ludwig Huerter and Rolf Rossaint and Jan Larmann and Michael Czaplik and Andreas Follmann},
journal = {Patient safety in surgery},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s13037-026-00514-x},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902387},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Postoperative anaesthesia follow-up via telemedicine after outpatient surgery: a proof-of-concept study.
AU - Benedikt Ludwig Huerter
AU - Rolf Rossaint
AU - Jan Larmann
AU - Michael Czaplik
AU - Andreas Follmann
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/15
JO - Patient safety in surgery
DO - 10.1186/s13037-026-00514-x
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902387
AB - Background Postoperative anaesthesia visits after inpatient procedures guarantee a comprehensive assessment of the patient's status. As the number of outpatient surgical cases in hospitals increases, more patients are recovering at home. Telemedicine may provide an efficient and effective link between anaesthesiologists and patients at home without restricting their freedom and self-determination.Methods After an initial acceptance survey, a single-arm, observational pilot study piloted an optional postoperative anaesthesia visit for patients undergoing outpatient surgery under general anaesthesia. It was implemented using videochats and patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) questionnaires.Results Of the 300 people initially surveyed in the initial acceptance survey, nearly two-thirds (62.0%) expressed interest in using videochats to contact an anaesthesiologist after discharge. One hundred patients (n = 100) were included in the subsequent observational pilot study. The offer of an optional postoperative visit was used by 65 participants (n = 65, 65%). Videochats were considered a reliable tool for communicating medical issues and perceived as superior to telephone calls. The use of PROM questionnaires was considered meaningful by more than 80% of participants. Sixty-two of the sixty-five participants considered the postoperative anaesthesia visit a useful and beneficial part of the treatment and recovery process.Conclusions Postoperative anaesthesia visits via videochat combined with PROM questionnaires after outpatient surgery were successfully piloted and consistently perceived positively by participants. Telemedicine-assisted postoperative anaesthesia visits may be a feasible component of patient-centred care in settings with limited resources.Trial registration German Clinical Trials Register; https://drks.de/search/en; registration number: DRKS00028755, registration date: 26th January 2023.
SN - 1754-9493
ER -