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BACKGROUND: Telephone, internet-connected devices (phablet, pc), chat platforms, mobile applications (Skype, Facebook messenger, Whatsapp, to name a few) can be exploited for telemedicine applications Whatsapp and similar applications are widely used to facilitate clinical communication between physicians, too Moreover, Whatsapp is used between ED physicians and consultant physicians during ED consultations in which medical information is exchanged This platform is regarded as a useful application in the consultation of dermatological and orthopaedic cases Preventing the overcrowding in the ED is key to reducing the transmission risk, and teleconsulting practice is thought to be effective in the diagnosis, treatment and reduction of the risk of disease transmission, most notably in the Covid-19 pandemic process Video consulting is highly recommended in some countries on the grounds that it is likely to reduce the risk of transmission Whatsapp-like applications are one of the video-consulting platforms assumed to reduce the risk of contamination by minimizing the patient-doctor contact OBJECTIVE: This study thus sets out to investigate the effect of Whatsapp video consultation upon patient admission and discharge times in comparison to bedside consultation in the evaluation of potential Covid-19 patients visiting the Covid-19 outpatient clinic during the pandemic period METHODS: The subjects who presented to ED Covid-19 outpatient clinic between March 11, 2020 and May 31, 2020 and for whom an infectious diseases (ID) physician was consulted (via Whatsapp or at bedside) were included in the study in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria Eventually, 54 patients whose consultations were made via Whatsapp and 90 patients whose consultations were made at bedside included in our study RESULTS: As far as the discharged subjects\' length of stay in the ED is concerned, this time amounted to 103 (85-147 75) minutes in the Whatsapp group and 196 (141-215) minutes in the bedside group In this regard, the length of stay of in the ED turned out to be significantly shorter in the Whatsapp group than the other group (P = 0001) Among the consulted and discharged subjects, 2 persons in both groups turned out to be PCR positive, and thus were re-admitted and hospitalized (P = 61) Considering the in-patients\' length of stay in the ED, this time was found as 116 5 (85 5-145 5) minutes in the Whatsapp group and 132 (102-168) minutes in the bedside group The statistical analysis on this time difference revealed that the length of stay of in the ED was significantly shorter in the Whatsapp group than the bedside group (P = 038) CONCLUSIONS: Consultation via Whatsapp reduces both contact time with Covid-19 patients and the number of medical staff contacting the patient This instance contributes greatly to reducing the risk of Covid-19 transmission in these two ways Whatsapp consultation may prove useful in clinical decision making as well as speeding up the process Moreover, it does not result in decreased accuracy rate The shortened discharge and hospitalization time span also trimmed the length of stay in the ED, with an impact on minimizing the ED crowding CLINICALTRIAL: NCT04645563
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