Transports and hospitalizations avoided thanks to teleconsultations for elderly patients living in nursing homes

Introduction. The care of elderly people living in nursing homes is a medical public health issue. The objective of this study is to evaluate the number of hospitalizations and transports avoided thanks to teleconsultations and to evaluate the therapeutic and follow up consequences of these teleconsultations. Methods. A retrospective descriptive study of cardiology and neuropsychogeriatric teleconsultations was performed in three nursing home participating in the TokTokDoc Mobile Polyclinic project between September 1st, 2020 and February 28, 2021. Results. We included 77 patients who had a total of 120 teleconsultations. Sixty-seven transports (55.8%) and 12 hospitalizations (10%) were avoided. Therapeutic optimization was achieved in 38 cases (40%). Complex medical assessments were carried out in the same way as a face-to-face consultation. Conclusion. Telemedicine is a relevant tool for improving the healthcare circuit care of residents, by avoiding medical transport and hospitalizations. These preliminary results also show the feasibility of teleconsultations in cardiology and neuropsychogeriatrics despite the medical complexity of these two specialties.