TELEHEALTH PROVIDER EXPERIENCE IN REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY AND INFERTILITY CLINICS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND BEYOND

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To assess Telehealth services offered by Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) member clinics and provider experiences with incorporating Telehealth into reproductive endocrinology and infertility practices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 16-question web-based survey on use of Telehealth was distributed to SART member reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinics. Clinic demographic data, Telehealth descriptive data and provider satisfaction with use of Telehealth were assessed. Results were collected via Survey Monkey. RESULTS: A total of 330 SART clinics were reached via email. 38 clinics responded (11.5%), representing 17 unique states, with California, NewYork, and Illinois most commonly represented. 22 clinics (59.5%) were private, 12 (32.4%) were university-affiliated and 3 (8.11%) were health system-based. 25 clinics (67.6%) were described as suburban and 12 (32.4%) were urban. All 38 clinics surveyed offer Telehealth visits. The most common Telehealth platform was Zoom (58.6%), followed by use of telephone or landline (41.4%), and Telehealth service through electronic medical platform (31%). New patient consultations and return visits were offered by 36 (94.7%) and 35 (92.1%) of clinics, respectively. The most common types of consultations offered were related to fertility (100%), reproductive endocrinology (94.7%) and reproductive surgery (73.7%). Only 13 clinics (34.2%) offered Telehealth services before the COVID-19 pandemic;most of these clinics estimated that 25-50% of visits were done via Telehealth before the pandemic. Half of the clinics estimated that>75% of visits were done via Telehealth during the pandemic. The majority of clinics (89.5%) anticipate they will offer Telehealth visits after the COVID-19 pandemic. 63.2% of clinics anticipate fewer Telehealth visits after the pandemic because of logistics (28.6%) and patient preference (25.7%). Most providers (73.7%) stated that they are ''very satisfied'' with Telehealth overall. CONCLUSIONS: Telehealth enabled safe patient-provider interactions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic for all clinics that responded to this survey, most commonly performed via Zoom. While only few clinics offered Telehealth services before COVID-19, the majority of clinics anticipate that they will continue to offer Telehealth after the pandemic. There is ongoing research assessing patient satisfaction with Telehealth, and future research can focus on ways to overcome logistical issues to widen use of a service that is considered satisfactory for providers and patients alike. IMPACT STATEMENT Telehealth is a method of care delivery that reduces risk of cross-contamination caused by close contact (1), critical during pandemics and convenient under other routine circumstances as well. All clinics surveyed used Telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most providers express great satisfaction with Telehealth and anticipate they will offer Telehealth services henceforth.