Patient Preferences Regarding Virtual Visits in Cutaneous Surgery in the Era of COVID-19.
Dermatol Surg
; 48(6): 636-641, 2022 06 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1764684
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an increasing shift toward the utilization of telehealth services. There are limited data on patient preferences for these services in dermatologic surgery.OBJECTIVE:
To evaluate patient preferences regarding telehealth in dermatologic surgery for pre- and postsurgical care.METHODS:
A survey was administered to patients in an academic dermatology practice.RESULTS:
Two hundred twenty-four patients participated. An in-person presurgical consultation was preferred by 62.1%, and a postsurgical in-person visit was preferred by 67.7%. The most commonly cited reason was desire for physical interaction with their surgeon. For each 10-year increase in age, there was a 1.26-fold and 1.12-fold increase in preference for in-person consultation and follow-up, respectively. Eighty-seven percent felt safe during office visit, and 41% reported no anxiety regarding fear of contracting COVID-19. The proportion of patients preferring in-person pre- or postsurgical visits was similar regardless of sex, presence of an immunocompromising condition, prior dermatologic surgery, anxiety level for contracting COVID-19, and perceived level of office safety.CONCLUSION:
A majority of patients prefer in-person visits for pre- and postsurgical care. Older patients have a greater preference for in-person care. Anxiety level regarding COVID-19 and perceived level of office safety were not related to preference for in-person visits.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Telemedicine
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Dermatol Surg
Journal subject:
Dermatology
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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