Digitization in gynecology and obstetrics in times of COVID-19: Results of a national survey

Introduction: In the COVID-19 pandemic, many consultations had to be cancelled, postponed, or converted to a virtual format. The use of telemedicine in the management of Women's Health Care could support doctors (telegynecology). This study analyses the use and perception of telemedicine applications among gynecologists in Germany. Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study was based on a survey of gynecologists in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and regression analyses were performed to show correlations. Results: The gynecologists expect telemedicine to be used in gynecology and obstetrics. 76.4% (365/478) of the respondents rated their knowledge of telemedicine as insufficient. The majority of respondents (437/478, 91.6%) said they did not currently use telemedicine, although 67.3% (321/478) would like to do so. Obstacles to the introduction of telemedicine include the purchase of technical equipment (325/478, 68.1%), administration (305/478, 64.0%) and poor reimbursement (233/478, 48.9%). Gynecologists surveyed would prefer telemedicine to communicate directly with other doctors (388/478, 81.2%) rather than to communicate with patients (228/478, 47.8%). In the treatment phases, 73.2% (349/478) of the respondents would use telemedicine during follow-up. Half of the respondents would choose tele counseling as a specific approach to improving care (246/ 478, 51.5%). Conclusion: Telemedicine in gynecology finds little use but high acceptance. The absence of a structured framework is an obstacle to effective implementation. Training courses should be introduced to improve the limited knowledge in the use of telemedicine. More research in tele-gynecology is needed. These include largescale randomized controlled trials, economic analyses and the exploration of user preferences.