Patient perception of telehealth services compared to in-person office visits across multiple gastroenterology practices

ABSTRACT

Introduction: The Coronavirus 2019 pandemic prompted Gastroenterology (GI) practices to rapidly implement telehealth-based care in order to improve resource allocation, protect patient and staff wellbeing, and comply with public health measures. In 2020, we surveyed nearly 1,500 patients showing a satisfaction rate with telehealth services of over 80%. This current descriptive, survey-based study aims to assess patient satisfaction with telehealth services in comparison to in-person office visits and to portray the factors impacting the patient experience. Methods: An online survey was distributed to patients of eight community-based GI practices across the United States between January and April, 2021. Responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale. The net promoter score (NPS), a metric for customer loyalty and satisfaction, was calculated to better assess the patient experience. A score between 0-30 denotes good quality of service with room for growth and improvement. Results: A total of 2928 patients had at least one telehealth visit (68.1% female, 87.1% White, mean age 64.5 years). Reason for visit was most often related to inflammatory bowel disease (18.4%), procedure preparation or follow-up (15.2%), or heartburn/reflux (13.4%). Most patients (54.7%) were likely to continue using telehealth services after the pandemic mainly due to shorter wait and travel times (41.1%), flexibility with personal schedule (30.7%), and ease of scheduling appointments on desired date (26.0%). Approximately 73% of respondents indicated that they received a similar quality of care through telehealth as compared to in-person visits and 61.1% stated that patient-physician interaction was also similar. Overall, the NPS for telehealth services among the participating GI practices was 25. Conclusion: Telehealth has become a valuable component of the healthcare system. Our results add to the existing literature regarding the high rate of patient satisfaction with telehealth and display the fact that the quality of virtual care can be perceived similar to that of in-person care. Furthermore, the calculated NPS confirms this level of satisfaction while signaling the need for continued growth and development of virtual care delivery. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of telehealth services on patient and population health outcomes and evaluate underrepresented..