Effect of telehealth implementation on an adolescent metabolic and bariatric surgery program

Pediatric severe obesity is a worldwide health concern. Treatment with metabolic and bariatric surgery can reduce morbidity and mortality. The COVID-19 pandemic not only has had a significant effect on rates of pediatric obesity but also has necessitated a rapid transition to virtual medicine. We aimed to identify and examine adolescent metabolic and bariatric surgery patient participation rates through our program’s virtual telehealth programming as compared with prepandemic traditional in-person clinic appointments. This study took place at an academic pediatric quaternary care center. We evaluated 92 adolescent patients with a total of 2442 unique encounters between January 2018 and July 2021. The rate of attendance was found to be greater for telehealth visits (83.1%) than for in-person appointments (70.5%) for all clinics regardless of appointment type (preoperative versus postoperative). Cancellation rates were lower for telehealth visits (9.9%) than for in-person appointments (22.5%). This study provides evidence that telehealth can be implemented successfully in an adolescent metabolic and bariatric surgery program and can improve attendance rates for all provider and appointment subtypes. •The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated transition of traditional medical practice to virtual formats, including telehealth medicine•There is limited current data related to the successful implementation of telehealth in adolescent bariatric medical care•Telehealth can improve clinic attendance rates for all provider and appointment types (pre- and post-surgical) in an adolescent bariatric program