Telehealth visits may be an option after surgery

People may happily, and safely, forgo in-person doctors' visits after surgery by opting instead for talking with their surgeons by phone or video, suggests a small study of U.S. veterans. Most patients preferred the virtual visits and the doctors didn't miss any infections that popped up after surgery, the researchers report in JAMA Surgery. "These kinds of methods are really important in the climate we’re in now," said lead author Dr. Michael Vella, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. "So I think anything you can do to save money, see more patients and improve access to care is really important."