Table 1.

Characteristics of the top ten cited papers on telemedicine application in orthopaedics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

S. No.	Author (year)	Total citations	Study type	Number of patients reported	Key observations
1.	Tanaka et al.64 (2020)	66	Expert opinion	Not provided	The authors highlighted the importance of proper camera positioning, audio-visual aids, and patient posture during telemedicine delivery.
2.	Loeb et al.34 (2020)	46	Expert opinion	Not provided	The authors highlighted the importance of patient triage, technological resources, credentialing, education of providers and patients, scheduling, and regulatory considerations in telemedicine delivery.
3.	Parisien et al.11 (2020)	32	Survey of residency programs	Not provided	Authors in a survey of orthopaedic residency programs found that 63.1% of them were providing telemedicine services. The authors stressed the need for telemedicine in academic orthopaedic institutions owing to the permanent pandemic-like situation.
4.	Massey et al.41 (2020)	30	Expert opinion	Not provided	The authors observed telemedicine to be effective in the care of orthopaedic outpatients. Surgical priority, physical distancing, online clinical communications, and physician wellness governed inpatient care.
5.	Awad et al.36 (2020)	27	Expert opinion	Not provided	In their evidence-based guidelines, authors recommended telemedicine and regarded it as virtual personal protective equipment. They emphasised preparation, practice, and following telemedicine start-up checklists to ensure effective implementation of telemedicine.
6.	Kane et al.18 (2020)	26	Randomised controlled trial	58 patients	Patients undergoing arthroscopic rotator cuff surgery could receive safe and effective early postoperative follow-up care using telemedicine. In addition, the preference for telehealth increased for both surgeons and patients following the first-hand experience.
7.	O'Connor et al.42 (2020)	23	Expert opinion	Not provided	Authors found telemedicine to be an effective alternative even after the resumption of routine services. However, concerns regarding patient privacy and the need for further development and technological advances in telemedicine were also raised.
8.	Makhni et al.43 (2020)	16	Expert opinion	Not provided	The authors discussed the factors that hindered the prior implementation of the telemedicine, which included lack of awareness, implementation costs, inefficiencies introduced, difficulty in performing physical examinations, overall lack of perceived benefit of virtual care, negative financial implications, concern for medicolegal liability, and regulatory restrictions.
9.	Chhabra et al.44 (2020)	9	Expert opinion	Not provided	The authors found the role of telemedicine to be effective and encouraging. However, the limitations in developing countries due to connectivity issues and lack of awareness were highlighted.
10.	Sultan et al.19 (2020)	9	Survey of patients with paediatric spinal deformity	189 patients	Authors found that teleconsultations were a fast mode and satisfactory of care for paediatric spinal deformity patients comparable to physical visits.