ABSTRACT
A 48-year-old male, known to have hypertension (HTN), ischemic heart disease (IHD) post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) before one year, and morbid obesity (BMI: 60), presented to the emergency department complaining of right thigh pain and swelling that started two days before. The swelling got increasingly worsen over the previous days, associated with dyspnea, for which he sought medical attention in another hospital. He was found to have a picture of sepsis where they offered him irrigation and debridement (I&D) but he refused and presented to our institution in a hemodynamically unstable condition. The patient underwent immediate surgery with subsequent intensive care unit (ICU) admission as a case of necrotizing fasciitis complicated by sepsis. Later he was found to have coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection.
ABSTRACT
Successful implementation of virtual healthcare depends immensely on patients' perceptions and satisfaction. This cross-sectional study assessed patients' perceptions of, and factors associated with, poor and average satisfaction with the outpatient telemedicine clinics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This questionnaire-based survey was conducted among 720 patients who attended outpatient telemedicine clinics from different regions of the KSA. Of the sample studied, 54.7% of the participants had high satisfaction and the most common disadvantage perceived by patients was technical issues (53.1%), followed by fewer personal interactions (30.4%). Around 75% of the participants desired to use telemedicine services even after the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analysis revealed that age group more than 40 years (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.04-2.44, p = 0.031), education less than university level (OR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.07-2.15, p = 0.025), and first-time participants (OR = 3.28; 95% CI = 2.32-4.65, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with poor and average satisfaction ratings. The concerned authorities must make targeted action plans to circumvent the disadvantages perceived by patients accessing telemedicine. Furthermore, a multicenter, exploratory study that compares the virtual clinic with other telemedicine services in the KSA is warranted.