Nursing Telemedicine Educational Encounters: Improved Patient Satisfaction in Radiation Therapy Clinics.

Abstract

Nurse-led education can improve patient satisfaction, and telemedicine has increased patient access during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this article was to investigate how nursing telemedicine educational visits influence patient satisfaction. Patients receiving standard of care in-person education for breast cancer radiation therapy (RT) between January 2019 and June 2019 comprised the preintervention cohort. After July 2019, patients received the same information virtually and represented the postintervention cohort. Press Ganey surveys were used to evaluate patient satisfaction, t tests were performed to differentiate satisfaction scores, and f tests were calculated to determine differences in the variances of response. Patient satisfaction increased in the postintervention cohort for what to expect during RT, how to manage side effects, and nurses' attentiveness to patient questions and worries. There was decreased variance in patient satisfaction in the postintervention group for quality of care received from nurses and caring manner of nurses.