Addressing disparities in rural and remote access for rheumatology practice through a transformative tele-healthcare delivery system: Experience of a large cohort of patients in eastern India

Das, BKParida, MKTripathy, SRPattanaik, SSYadav, SKMishra, SK.2024-12-022024-12-022024-03Das BK, Parida MK, Tripathy SR, Pattanaik SS, Yadav SK, Mishra SK.. Addressing disparities in rural and remote access for rheumatology practice through a transformative tele-healthcare delivery system: Experience of a large cohort of patients in eastern India. National Medical Journal of India. 2024 Mar; 37(2): 79-810970-258X2583-150Xhttps://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/240447Background We present the experience of telerheumatology consultation services carried out in an eastern state of India. Methods We did this prospective, observational study of patients with rheumatological disorders and followed through telemedicine between December 2015 and May 2019. Results During the study period, we provided teleconsultation to 3583 patients with the help of 11 201 telemedicine visits. Patients resided at a median distance of 248 (13 to 510) km from the telemedicine hub. The cumulative savings of the patients as a result of this service were ?2.4 crore (24 million). The median travel time saved was 7 hours (30 minutes to 12 hours) per patient per visit and a median of ?6700 was saved per visit per patient. Conclusion Sustained efforts over a long period can lead to the delivery of essential rheumatology services via telemedicine to an under-priviledged population, reduce the financial burden of the poor, and help women to access healthcare services in remote parts of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).Addressing disparities in rural and remote access for rheumatology practice through a transformative tele-healthcare delivery system: Experience of a large cohort of patients in eastern IndiaJournal ArticleIndiaDepartment of Rheumatology, SCB Medical College, Cuttack 753007, Odisha, IndiaDepartment of Rheumatology, SCB Medical College, Cuttack 753007, Odisha, IndiaDepartment of Rheumatology, SCB Medical College, Cuttack 753007, Odisha, IndiaDepartment of Rheumatology, SCB Medical College, Cuttack 753007, Odisha, IndiaDepartment of Medicine, NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, IndiaDepartment of Endocrine Surgery, Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow 226014, Uttar Pradesh, India