Abstract
Introduction: COVID19 pandemic has resulted in drastic changes in healthcare delivery with increase in use of telemedicine. There is limited data on patient experience with telemedicine in adults with congenital heart disease (ACHD). Hypothesis: We hypothesized that ACHD patients would prefer in-person clinic visits over telemedicine, and this would be especially true for patients > 65 years who may be at a higher risk of experiencing technical limitations. Methods: We conducted a nurse administered telephone survey (Figure 1A) based on Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality recommendations to assess patient experience after ACHD telemedicine visits from March 2020 to June 2020. Results: Of 216 patients who had ACHD telemedicine visits, 136 (63%) agreed to participate in the survey. Mean age was 45 + 18 years, majority (65%) being video encounters. Most (98%) said that the telemedicine visit was successful in addressing their healthcare needs. Only 21 (15%) patients reported technical issues. Most patients (76%) were likely to choose telemedicine in the future instead of an in-person clinic visit provided testing was done separately. Given a choice between in-person clinic visit and telemedicine: 103 (76%) preferred telemedicine, 25 (18%) preferred in-person clinic visits, and 8 (6%) had no preference (Figure1B). Of the 25 patients over 65 years, 19 (76%) would choose telemedicine over the in-person clinic, and only one patient reported technical difficulties. Conclusion: In conclusion, patients reported a positive experience with ACHD telemedicine, which was true even among elderly patients. Technical limitations were infrequent even amongst the elderly. Majority of patients felt that their healthcare needs were addressed and would consider telemedicine over clinic visits if given a choice. This data is vital as payors move away from supporting telemedicine and hospitals restructure, with and without ongoing COVID 19 concerns.
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