Evaluation of the Safety of Virtual Visits After In-Clinic Botox® Injection: A Quality Improvement Study.

Abstract

Introduction and hypothesis: Virtual visits can be performed after in-clinic injection of Botox®, but data are lacking on the safety of these visits. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a protocol change from in-person to virtual post-procedure visits after in-clinic injection of Botox®.

Methods: This was a quality improvement study that took place at a safety-net hospital. Initially, all patients undergoing Botox® injection for idiopathic overactive bladder were scheduled for a 2-week in-person assessment after their procedure. Beginning in January 2023, patients were instead scheduled for a 2-week phone visit where they were screened using standardized and validated questionnaires and asked to present for in-person assessment if they expressed worsening or concerning symptoms. Demographic variables, subjective improvement, need for in-person assessment, and rates of urinary tract infection and retention were compared between groups.

Results: Fifty-seven patients in the in-person-visit group and 60 in the phone-visit group were included. There was no difference in subjective improvement, symptoms of dysuria or incomplete emptying, or rates of urinary tract infection or retention between groups. Twenty-eight percent of patients who had phone visits were asked to return in-person, although this did not correspond with a higher rate of complications. The phone-visit group had a 68.3% reduction in face-to-face assessments overall when compared with the in-person group.

Conclusions: Post-procedure phone visits are safe and feasible to perform after in-clinic Botox® injection, and are not associated with an increased risk of complications.