Telemedicine in Surgical Care: A Meta-Analysis of Short-term Outcomes in Nairobi Hospitals,

Telemedicine has emerged as a promising solution for improving access to surgical care in underserved regions. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using electronic databases such as PubMed and Web of Science to identify relevant studies. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria including publication date (-), study design, and outcome measures related to surgical patient care. The analysis revealed a statistically significant improvement in postoperative complications rates among telemedicine-assisted cases when compared to traditional in-person consultations (p < 0.05). Telemedicine services appear effective in reducing postoperative complications within six months of implementation, suggesting potential benefits for resource-limited settings. Further research is recommended to evaluate long-term outcomes and cost-effectiveness of telemedicine in surgical care delivery. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.