Using Whatsapp for the Consultation

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. 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. 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) will be 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 will be in this study.