Initial Patient Satisfaction With Telemedicine in Neurosurgery Outpatient Clinic During the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical community has been saturated by the necessity for telemedicine, or “telehealth”, appointments. With limited prior exposure, the many challenges that accompany telehealth visits have affected how physicians conduct daily tasks and how patients perceive healthcare experiences. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine was new to most neurosurgical patients. This study seeks to evaluate the overall neurosurgical patient experience with telemedicine. OBJECTIVE: To assess overall neurosurgical patient satisfaction with telemedicine to build an understanding of the effectiveness of these encounters for future planning. METHODS: After a telemedicine appointment, patients received an electronic survey. Survey questions focused on demographic information, encounter type, medical history questions, and overall satisfaction with telemedicine. Responses for the survey questions were formulated using a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy patients were seen via telemedicine by 1 of 4 providers included in this study. 43 patients returned the surveys, with a completion rate of 16%. Patients indicated higher scores for overall satisfaction and quality of appointment. Of note, 23% of participants responded that they would be willing to pay out of pocket for a telemedicine appointment, while 77% responded they would not be willing to pay out of pocket. CONCLUSION: Our survey results show patients felt comfortable discussing healthcare issues using telehealth, that appropriate levels of care were received, and they would be willing to use telehealth again. Future efforts will be necessary to educate providers and patients about the utilization of technological devices, ensure patient access to telehealth, and standardize ethical guidelines.