Background Within the last decade, the use of telemedicine within in primary care in the USA has greatly expanded; however, use remains uncommon in surgical specialties. The spread of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) prompted healthcare institutions to limit in-person contact, resulting in an increase in telemedicine across all specialties, including pediatric surgery. The aims of this review were to evaluate potential barriers that limited the use of telemedicine in pediatric surgery prior to the COVID-19 period and to define how best to incorporate its use into a pediatric surgical practice going forward. Methods A scoping review was performed to identify gaps in the literature pertaining to the use of telemedicine within general pediatric surgery in the USA prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. Next, a focused evaluation of the legislative and organizational policies on telemedicine was performed. Lastly, findings were summarized and recommendations for future research developed in the context of understanding and overcoming barriers that have plagued widespread adoption in the past. Results Despite evidence of telemedicine being safe and well received by adult surgical patients, a total of only three studies representing original research on the use of telemedicine within pediatric surgery were identified. Legislative and organizational policies regarding telemedicine have been altered in response to COVID-19, likely resulting in an increase in the use of telemedicine among pediatric surgeons. Conclusions Telemedicine offers a safe and effective option for patients seeking an alternative to the in-person clinic appointment. The increased utilization of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic will provide an opportunity to learn how best to leverage the technology to decrease disparities and to overcome previous barriers.

中文翻译：

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美国儿科手术中远程医疗的使用状况——我们的立场以及我们可以从 COVID-19 大流行中获得什么：范围界定审查

背景 在过去十年中，远程医疗在美国初级保健中的使用已大大扩展；然而，在外科专业中使用仍然不常见。2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 的传播促使医疗机构限制面对面接触，导致包括小儿外科在内的所有专科的远程医疗增加。本综述的目的是评估在 COVID-19 期间限制远程医疗在儿科手术中使用的潜在障碍，并确定如何最好地将其应用纳入未来的儿科手术实践。方法 进行了范围界定审查，以确定在 COVID-19 爆发之前美国普通儿科手术中与远程医疗使用相关的文献中的差距。下一个，对远程医疗的立法和组织政策进行了重点评价。最后，在理解和克服过去困扰广泛采用的障碍的背景下，总结了研究结果并为未来的研究提出了建议。结果 尽管有证据表明远程医疗是安全的并且深受成年手术患者的欢迎，但总共只确定了三项代表关于在儿科手术中使用远程医疗的原始研究的研究。针对 COVID-19 改变了有关远程医疗的立法和组织政策，这可能导致儿科外科医生对远程医疗的使用增加。结论 远程医疗为寻求现场诊所预约替代方案的患者提供了一种安全有效的选择。