Compared with surgeons, patients reported higher satisfaction with telehealth visits
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SAN DIEGO — Results presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting showed patients, compared with surgeons, reported a higher level of satisfaction with telehealth visits.
Thema A. Nicholson, MS, and colleagues surveyed 107 patients seen for a telehealth clinic visit within the shoulder and elbow surgery division of Rothman Orthopaedic Institute between March 2020 and April 2020. Nicholson noted the survey included questions related to patient satisfaction with the visit, convenience of the virtual platform, preference for a virtual or in-person visit, whether patients experienced technical difficulties during the visit and whether they required technical assistance.
“Additionally, we asked them a 10-item scale questionnaire where we assessed their overall visit satisfaction, their convenience and ease of use for the visit, and their perceived level of care that they think they received using the telehealth platform,” Nicholson said.
She added they also surveyed six shoulder and elbow surgeons on their overall satisfaction with the platform, convenience of the virtual visit, whether they experienced technical issues, their perceived level of care that they administered to the patients and their willingness to incorporate telehealth visits into their practice in the future.
“Overall, patients were very satisfied with their visits, and their satisfaction rate was about 92%,” Nicholson said.
About 60% of patients indicated they would prefer an in-person visit instead of a telehealth visit, according to Nicholson. She noted having technical difficulties during the visit was the main factor that affected a patient’s preference on a telehealth or in-person visit.
However, results showed surgeons reported low satisfaction with the use of telehealth in their practice, with technical difficulties reported in 47.8% of visits and surgeons scoring the average level of care administered through telehealth platforms at 5.2. Surgeons also gave an average scored response of 6.6 on their willingness to incorporate telehealth into their practice in the future, according to results.
“[M]ore training and information needs to be given on these platforms, and I think we need to make it a little easier to use and be able to quickly troubleshoot those technical difficulties that both patient and surgeon were experiencing during these visits,” Nicholson said.
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Henry T, et al. Paper 432. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting. Aug. 31 - Sept. 3, 2021; San Diego.
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