Purpose: Musculoskeletal conditions are a common reason for primary care visits, and they are being increasingly addressed at televisits. We therefore examined outcomes of musculoskeletal radiographs ordered at in-person and telemedicine primary care visits, which have implications for patient care and the economic impact of telemedicine.
Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of musculoskeletal radiograph orders placed April 1, 2019-March 31, 2021 at a major academic health system. Radiology reports were classified as normal or abnormal based on the radiologist's impression. Findings were compared using c2 tests.
Results: The main outcome was radiographic abnormalities. A secondary outcome was the effect of social determinants of health and medical comorbidities on telemedicine utilization. A total of 1580 radiographs were reviewed. Compared with televisits occurring after onset of the SARS-Cov2-19 pandemic, radiographs ordered at in-person visits had higher odds of being abnormal (OR 2.51, 95% CI 1.33-4.75; P = .004). When comparing radiographic outcomes at in-person visits before and after the pandemic's onset, those ordered afterward had higher odds of being abnormal (OR 1.88, 95% CI 1.30-2.71; P < .001). Social determinants of health and medical comorbidities were not associated with telemedicine utilization.
Conclusions: After the onset of the SARS-Cov2-19 pandemic, radiographs ordered at in-person visits had higher odds of being abnormal compared with televisits. These findings indicate that prudence should be applied to ordering musculoskeletal radiographs in telemedicine encounters.
Keywords: Clinical Medicine; Delivery of Health Care; Family Medicine; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Orthopedics; Primary Health Care; Radiography; Retrospective Studies; Social Determinants of Health; Telemedicine.
© Copyright by the American Board of Family Medicine.