Patient satisfaction with televisit in chronic neurologic disorders during Covid-19 pandemic

Telemedicine in Pediatric Neurology: A Survey of Patient and Provider Experience

BACKGROUND

Over recent years there has been a shift in clinical practice to support care delivery via telemedicine. This study aims to highlight the patient and provider experience of telemedicine over 2.5 years within a Canadian Pediatric Neurology clinic.

METHOD

A REDCap survey was sent to all patients/parents and providers with a telemedicine appointment between March 2020 and September 2022.

RESULTS

Seven providers and 272 patients responded. Ninety-one percent of patients and 100% of providers were satisfied with telemedicine. Ninety percent of patients and 100% of providers found telemedicine more convenient. Eighty-seven percent of patients and 100% of providers were interested in future telemedicine appointments. Main challenges were with performing a physical examination and technological issues.

CONCLUSION

Our survey shows that the majority of patients and providers had highly positive experiences with telemedicine and were interested in continuing care via telemedicine. This study supports incorporating telemedicine into future pediatric neurology practice.

Self-Reported Patient and Provider Satisfaction With Neurology Telemedicine Visits After Rapid Telemedicine Implementation in an Urban Academic Center: Cross-Sectional Survey

BACKGROUND

Many clinics and health systems implemented telemedicine appointment services out of necessity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to evaluate patient and general provider satisfaction with neurology telemedicine implementation at an urban academic medical center.

METHODS

Patients who had completed 1 or more teleneurology visits from April 1 to December 31, 2020, were asked to complete a survey regarding their demographic information and satisfaction with teleneurology visits. Providers of all specialties within the same hospital system were given a different survey to gather their experiences of providing telemedicine care.

RESULTS

Of the estimated 1500 patients who had completed a teleneurology visit within the given timeframe, 117 (7.8%) consented to complete the survey. Of these 117 respondents, most appointments were regarding epilepsy (n=59, 50.4%), followed by multiple sclerosis (n=33, 28.2%) and neuroimmunology (n=7, 6%). Overall, 74.4% (n=87) of patients rated their experience as 8 out of 10 or higher, with 10 being the highest satisfaction. Furthermore, 75.2% (n=88) of patients reported missing an appointment in the previous year due to transportation issues and thought telemedicine was more convenient instead. A significant relationship between racial or ethnic group and comfort sharing private information was found (P<.001), with 52% (26/50) of Black patients reporting that an office visit is better, compared to 25% (14/52) of non-Black patients. The provider survey gathered 40 responses, with 75% (n=30) of providers agreeing that virtual visits are a valuable tool for patient care and 80% (n=32) reporting few to no technical issues. The majority of provider respondents were physicians on faculty or staff (n=21, 52%), followed by residents or fellows (n=15, 38%) and nurse practitioners or physician assistants (n=4, 10%). Of the specialties represented, 15 (38%) of the providers were in neurology.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study found adequate satisfaction among patients and providers regarding telemedicine implementation and its utility for patient care in a diverse urban population. Additionally, while access to technology and technology literacy are barriers to telemedical care, a substantial majority of patients who responded to the survey had access to devices (101/117, 86.3%) and were able to connect with few to no technological difficulties (84/117, 71.8%). One area identified by patients in need of improvement was comfortability in communicating via telemedicine with their providers. Furthermore, while providers agreed that telemedicine is a useful tool for patient care, it limits their ability to perform physical exams. More research and quality studies are needed to further appreciate and support the expansion of telemedical care into underserved and rural populations, especially in the area of subspecialty neurological care.

Impact of telehealth on patient-provider communication in prenatal care for pregnant women from underserved settings

INTRODUCTION

Telehealth has emerged as a promising supplementary modality in prenatal care. However, its impact on patient-provider communication (PPC), especially among pregnant women from underserved settings, requires comprehensive evaluation. This study examined the factors associated with the quality of patient-provider communication during the COVID-19 pandemic among pregnant telehealth users and non-users.

METHODS

Using a cross-sectional study design, 242 women were surveyed (response rate = 23%) regarding their experience with telehealth, quality of PPC, and experiences of discrimination during prenatal care. Multiple regression models were used to identify the factors associated with the quality of PPC during the COVID-19 pandemic. A sub-group analysis explored the factors associated with the quality of PPC separately among telehealth users and non-users.

RESULTS

The majority of the participants were on Medicaid (95%) and self-identified as Black/African American (57.3%). Regression analyses revealed a negative relationship between telehealth use during pregnancy and the quality of PPC (β = -1.13, P = 0.002). Irrespective of the telehealth use, the experience of discrimination was associated with poor quality of PPC among users (β = -3.47, P = .02) and non-users (β = -.78, P = .03), while adjusting for sociodemographic factors and social support during pregnancy.

DISCUSSION

While telehealth offers advantages like convenience, increased accessibility, and continuity of care, challenges in establishing effective PPC in virtual settings have emerged that emphasize the necessity for comprehensive provider training extending beyond technical competencies. The persistent issue of perceived discrimination, impacting PPC across both groups, underscores the necessity to rethink existing strategies of mandatory training to increase providers' knowledge.

The development of evaluation scale of the patient satisfaction with telemedicine: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine become more and more popular, patients attempt to use telemedicine to meet personal medical needs. Patient satisfaction is a key indicator of insight into the patient experience.

PURPOSE

This systematic review aims to explore the measurement factors of patient satisfaction with telemedicine and develop a more comprehensive and systematic scale of patient satisfaction with telemedicine.

METHODS

In February 2023, a literature search was conducted on the PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, identifying measurement factors and tools of patient satisfaction with telemedicine. For inclusion, the studies had to have or make a questionnaire about patient satisfaction with telemedicine delivered through video/audio visits in English. The quality of the studies was evaluated according to the Critical Appraisal Tool for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies of the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). The dimensions and items in each tool were also analyzed.

RESULTS

The initial search showed 14,020 studies. After eliminating duplicates and utilizing inclusion and exclusion criteria, 44 studies were included. This systematic review identified and integrated the measurement factors and develops a scale of patient satisfaction with telemedicine, which was divided into 9 dimensions and consists of 37 items.

CONCLUSION

Future measurement and evaluation of telemedicine will benefit from scale that was developed in this study, and it will more directly reflecting patient needs when patient satisfaction with telemedicine is evaluated.