The Rapid Adaption of Telemedicine: A Neurology Division's Perception of Effects on Care Delivery and Provider Wellness

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate provider perceptions of telemedicine as an effective method of care delivery and to characterize its impact on provider wellness With in a pediatric tertiary care center's neurology division. Background: Assessing provider wellness has become increasingly relevant given that neurologists have the second highest burnout rate among all specialists. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the institution was building telemedicine infrastructure and tools to assess its effectiveness in care delivery and effects on provider wellness. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an abrupt switch from in-person visits to exclusively telemedicine visits. Because rapid deployment of telemedicine was critical to sustaining high quality patient care, determining feasibility, acceptability, and impact on provider wellness occurred in real time. Design/Methods: From March to July 2020, neurology providers that completed a telemedicine visit were sent periodic REDCap surveys to elicit feedback on technology feasibility and impact on patient care, work-life balance, and professional fulfillment. Provider data was de-identified and analyzed for trends for over time. Results: There were four cycles of survey collection with 102 responses. The majority of providers reported that telemedicine was an adequate alternative to in-person exams. Technical issues were commonly reported, including communication interruptions (53%) and problematic video (61%) or audio (74%) quality. The reported frequency of problematic video and audio quality decreased from March to July (22% and 43% respectively). There was considerable reduction in provider commute. From March/April to June/July, providers reported improved professional fulfillment (32 % to 49%) and work life balance (51% to 77%) with telemedicine use. Nearly all providers (97%) would consider some form of telemedicine in the future despite the occurrence of technical difficulties. Conclusions: Despite the rapid deployment of telemedicine, providers reported that it was a feasible and acceptable method of care delivery that may improve provider wellness.