Lucinda Adams1, Susan Lester1,2, Elizabeth Hoon3,4, Heather van der Haak2, Charlotte Proudman1,5, Cindy Hall3, Samuel Whittle1,2, Susanna Proudman1,5, Catherine L Hill1,2,5. 1. Discipline of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. 2. Rheumatology Unit, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. 3. Discipline of General Practice, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. 4. School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. 5. Rheumatology Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Outpatient clinics were shifted rapidly to telehealth in Australia during the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, drastically altering patient care and experience. AIMS: To investigate patient satisfaction and acceptability of telehealth consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Prospective observation study conducted in two hospital rheumatology outpatient departments (OPD) undertaking telehealth consultations during COVID-19. A modified version of a validated telehealth evaluation survey was posted to all patients attending the telehealth OPD rheumatology clinics, including balanced 5-point Likert scales and free-text responses. Cluster analysis was applied to the Likert-scale questions, alongside thematic analysis of free-text responses. RESULTS: There were 128 respondents (29% response rate), of which 69.5% were women and the majority (87.5%) was aged 50 years or older. All telehealth consultations were conducted by telephone. Nearly one-fifth of patients indicated consistent dissatisfaction with telehealth across the range of questions. These patients were older, reported lower educational qualifications and lower health literacy scores and lacked access to the Internet. While many patients found this mode of consultation to be convenient, patients expressed concerns regarding absence of physical examination. A recurrent theme was a desire for a mixed-model clinic in the future, with flexibility of having both telehealth and face-to-face consultations. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers unique insights into patients' experiences with telehealth, which until the current global pandemic, has been an uncommon mode of consultation delivery in urban areas. This study suggests when defining the place of telehealth in future healthcare delivery, patient perspective and careful patient selection will be key. Disease progression, language and cognitive ability, health literacy, technology access and patient and clinician preference are important considerations when deciding how effectively to embed and integrate telehealth into consultations.
BACKGROUND:Outpatient clinics were shifted rapidly to telehealth in Australia during the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, drastically altering patient care and experience. AIMS: To investigate patient satisfaction and acceptability of telehealth consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Prospective observation study conducted in two hospital rheumatology outpatient departments (OPD) undertaking telehealth consultations during COVID-19. A modified version of a validated telehealth evaluation survey was posted to all patients attending the telehealth OPD rheumatology clinics, including balanced 5-point Likert scales and free-text responses. Cluster analysis was applied to the Likert-scale questions, alongside thematic analysis of free-text responses. RESULTS: There were 128 respondents (29% response rate), of which 69.5% were women and the majority (87.5%) was aged 50 years or older. All telehealth consultations were conducted by telephone. Nearly one-fifth of patients indicated consistent dissatisfaction with telehealth across the range of questions. These patients were older, reported lower educational qualifications and lower health literacy scores and lacked access to the Internet. While many patients found this mode of consultation to be convenient, patients expressed concerns regarding absence of physical examination. A recurrent theme was a desire for a mixed-model clinic in the future, with flexibility of having both telehealth and face-to-face consultations. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers unique insights into patients' experiences with telehealth, which until the current global pandemic, has been an uncommon mode of consultation delivery in urban areas. This study suggests when defining the place of telehealth in future healthcare delivery, patient perspective and careful patient selection will be key. Disease progression, language and cognitive ability, health literacy, technology access and patient and clinician preference are important considerations when deciding how effectively to embed and integrate telehealth into consultations.
Authors: Giulio Nittari; Demetris Savva; Daniele Tomassoni; Seyed Khosrow Tayebati; Francesco Amenta Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-04-22 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Stefano Omboni; Raj S Padwal; Tourkiah Alessa; Béla Benczúr; Beverly B Green; Ilona Hubbard; Kazuomi Kario; Nadia A Khan; Alexandra Konradi; Alexander G Logan; Yuan Lu; Maurice Mars; Richard J McManus; Sarah Melville; Claas L Neumann; Gianfranco Parati; Nicolas F Renna; Philippe Ryvlin; Hugo Saner; Aletta E Schutte; Jiguang Wang Journal: Connect Health Date: 2022-01-04