Feasibility and Acceptability of Teleconsultation During COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created an aberrant challenge for healthcare delivery systems, forcing public health policies across the globe to be shifted from traditional medical care in hospitals to virtual care in the homes of patients.To tackle this pandemic, telemedicine had taken center stage. This study aims to learn about patient satisfaction, feasibility, and acceptability of the use of telemedicine for clinical encounters during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology This single-center, cross-sectional, observational study was done on a total of 758 patients who were provided with teleconsultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. We developed a 49-item questionnaire consisting of patients' quality of consultation and patients' expectations to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and patient satisfaction with their telemedicine consultations. Results The majority of survey participants (97.1%) expressed satisfaction with the quality of the consultations provided through telemedicine. A large percentage of participants (96.8%) reported the benefits of teleconsultation in treating their problems. Overall, 93.3% of participants respondedpositively to the continuation of teleconsultation services after the pandemic. Conclusions The study revealed a wide extent of satisfaction among patients. The feasibility and acceptability of telemedicine services have transformed the mode of healthcare delivery systems.