Teleconsultation for Thyroid Disorders: Different Perceptions between Clinicians and Patients

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Teleconsultation has gained traction in the past decade. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated its uptake worldwide. Clinic visits for thyroid disorders includemany routine tasks that may be carried out remotely, and seldom involve intervention procedures. Our study aims to understand clinicians' and patients' perception of teleconsultation for thyroid disorders, in consideration of the barriers and facilitators to sustainable adoption beyond the pandemic. METHOD(S) This is a cross-sectional survey study. Clinicians at a tertiary hospital completed a survey on the suitability of teleconsultation for specific clinic tasks, and an adapted Technological Acceptance Model (TAM) questionnaire scored on a 7-point scale. Patients with thyroid disorders completed the Telemedicine Perception Questionnaire (TMPQ) scored on a 5-point scale. RESULT(S) Thirty-four clinicians (attending specialists50%;fellows and junior doctors50%) completed the questionnaire. Review of thyroid ultrasound results (73.5%) and blood tests results (61.8%) were tasks deemed most suitable for teleconsultation. 85.3% of clinicians felt that bad news should not be conveyed remotely. There were no significant differences in the responses between senior and junior clinician groups. Clinicians had a moderately positive attitude towards teleconsultation (mean(M) = 5.01 +/- 1.16) and perceived video platforms as easy to use (M= 4.97+/- 0.88). They were ambivalent about the usefulness of teleconsultation (M= 4.55+/- 1.05) and whether they were time-efficient (M= 4.06+/- 1.37). They were equivocal about their intention to use teleconsultation (M= 4.79+/- 1.28). Fifty patients (mean age = 58(+/-13.3) years) with thyroid disorders completed the survey. Patients felt teleconsultation should complement in-person care instead of substituting it completely (M= 3.72+/- 0.73). Patients perceived teleconsultations to be timesaving for both clinicians (M= 3.88+/- 1.16) and themselves (M= 3.86+/- 0.78). Patients also thought teleconsultations reduced costs for hospitals (M= 3.62+/- 0.83). CONCLUSION(S) Clinicians and patients shared a general positive attitude towards teleconsultation. They agreed that teleconsultation is suitable for some clinic tasks, but cannot completely replace inperson care. Patients felt that teleconsultations saved time for both clinicians and themselves, but this view was not shared by clinicians. Further studies should explore the time efficiency and cost effectiveness of teleconsultation for thyroid disorders. This can inform on sustainable adoption of teleconsultation as an alternative mode of service delivery.