Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth Visits for New Patient Appointments for Pelvic Floor Disorders: A Randomized Trial of Telehealth Versus Standard In-Person Office Visits.
Urogynecology (Phila)
; 29(2): 273-280, 2023 02 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2240092
ABSTRACT
IMPORTANCE The acceptability and safety of telehealth have been reported in urogynecology for preoperative and postoperative care but not new patient consultation. OBJECTIVES:
This study aimed to determine if new patient telehealth encounters are noninferior to in-person encounters for women presenting to a urogynecology clinic using a satisfaction questionnaire. Secondary objectives were to describe patient experiences and follow-up. STUDYDESIGN:
A randomized controlled trial of telehealth versus in-person consults for new patients with any urogynecologic condition was conducted. Patients completed the validated Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire 18 (PSQ-18) after the visit. The primary outcome was composite PSQ-18 score. Using a noninferiority margin of 5 points on the PSQ-18, 25 patients per arm were required with a power of 80% and an α of 0.05.RESULTS:
From March to September 2021, 133 patients were screened, 71 were randomized, and 58 were included in the final analysis (30 telehealth and 28 in-person). Demographic characteristics were similar between groups. Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire 18 composite scores were high for both groups but higher for in-person versus telehealth visits (75.68 ± 8.55 vs 66.60 ± 11.80; P = 0.001; difference, 9.08); results were inconclusive with respect to noninferiority. Women in the telehealth group expressed uncertainty regarding the telehealth format. There were no differences in short-term follow-up, communication with the office, or treatment chosen between groups.CONCLUSIONS:
Women seen by urogynecologic providers for a new consult both via in-person or telehealth visits demonstrated high satisfaction with their first visit. We were unable to determine if telehealth is noninferior to in-person visits. Our study adds to the literature that telehealth is safe, effective, and acceptable to patients.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Telemedicine
/
Pelvic Floor Disorders
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Urogynecology (Phila)
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
SPV.0000000000001280
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