ABSTRACT
Objective: Assess patient satisfaction of telemedicine implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic Background: We aimed to learn neurology clinic patient opinions of a new telemedicine clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic in an urban academic center. Design/Methods: We conducted surveys on neurology clinic patients or caregivers with consent who had ≥ 1 telemedicine visit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The patient survey was adapted, with permission, on the Massachusetts General Hospital TeleHealth Virtual Visit Patient survey and responses were managed using REDCap database. Results: Forty-one patient surveys were completed, of which 52.6% of responders were Black, and 65.8% were women. Over 55% of patients were 18-45 years old. Fifty-eight percent of patients had education beyond a high-school diploma. Sixty-five percent of patients had their first telemedicine visit during the pandemic and most of them were at home (97%). Fifty-nine percent used smart phones, 25.6% had a cell phone without video capacity, and 92.1% used their own device. Wi-Fi was used by 67.6% and 27% used cellular network data. Twenty-five percent of patients experienced some technical issues and over 50% was specifically with joining a video visit. Despite the technical issues, more than 75% of patients reported that they still received the care they needed. Overall positive rating was 67.5%. Four patients strongly disliked telemedicine. Eighty-seven percent reported their virtual visit is as effective as a traditional office visit in communicating their needs. Compared to virtual visit, 49% of patients felt more confident that an office visit would address their health concern better. Fifty percent of patients reported that an office visit had better overall quality. Eighty-three percent would recommend a virtual visit to their family and friends. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated telemedicine has received high overall patient satisfaction in an urban-based neurology clinic. More surveys need to be completed to determine clinical significance.