In-person vs. telehealth visits yield similar quality of shared decision-making
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Published results found no differences in quality of shared decision-making between patients and physicians among patients who had in-person vs. telehealth appointments to a general surgery clinic.
Alexander T. Hawkins, MD, MPH, and colleagues performed a mixed-methods, prospective observational cohort study that analyzed 387 patients who presented for a first-time visit to a general surgery clinic from May 2021 to June 2022. According to the study, 301 patients (77.8%) had an in-person appointment, while 86 patients (22.2%) had a telehealth appointment.
The primary outcome was quality of shared decision-making between patient and physician, as defined by a top box score on collaboRATE, a validated measure of the shared decision-making process, according to the study. Other outcomes included the nine-item shared decision-making questionnaire (SDM-Q-9), the EuroQol 5-dimension 5-level index (EQ-5D-5L) and patient satisfaction.
Hawkins and colleagues found the only measure associated with achieving a collaboRATE top box score was the EQ-5D-5L index, which contains five domains of self-reported quality of life: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain or discomfort and anxiety or depression. Researchers found no association between collaboRATE top box scores, SDM-Q-9 and telehealth visits, which suggests no difference in quality of shared decision-making with in-person vs. telehealth appointments, according to the study. A telehealth visit was not associated with a decrease in patient satisfaction, the researchers added.
“Qualitative questionnaires revealed largely congruent perceptions between providers and patients; visit strengths included the convenience of telemedicine and the physical examination of in-person visits,” the researchers wrote in the study. “Telemedicine communication quality was frequently viewed favorably, though many preferred for surgical discussions to take place in-person,” they concluded.
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