Embracing virtual outpatient clinics in the era of COVID-19

• Main Authors: George Lee, Oliver T. Clough, Edward Hayter, James Morris, Thomas Ashdown, John Hardman, Raymond Anakwe
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: The British Editorial Society of Bone & Joint Surgery 2021-05-01
• Series: Bone & Joint Open
• Subjects: virtual outpatient clinic; virtual fracture clinic; service redesign; covid-19
• Online Access: https://online.boneandjoint.org.uk/doi/epdf/10.1302/2633-1462.25.BJO-2020-0176.R1

The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has raised the profile and level of interest in the use, acceptability, safety, and effectiveness of virtual outpatient consultations and telemedicine. These models of care are not new but a number of challenges have so far hindered widespread take-up and endorsement of these ways of working. With the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, remote and virtual working and consultation have become the default. This paper explores our experience of and learning from virtual and remote consultation and questions how this experience can be retained and developed for the future.