Patient satisfaction with a teleradiology service in general practice.

Jac J W M Jacobs,Jac J W M Jacobs,Rianne Ekkelboom,Thys Van Der Molen,Jan P A M Jacobs,Robbert Sanderman

doi:10.1186/s12875-016-0418-y

Abstract

BackgroundAccessibility to secondary health services is not always easy for patients who live at a great distance of hospital. In these circumstances, transferring diagnostic tools and treatment options to primary care could prove beneficial for patients. To do so, the quality of medical care and the costs and benefits of the approach need to be assessed. However, the patient perspective is equally important, offering important insights.MethodsIn a cross-sectional study we investigate the satisfaction of patients toward a new teleradiology facility offered a general practice on Ameland, an island in the Netherlands.A questionnaire was created based on the Dutch version of the Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire III and completed by all patients after receiving an x-ray in primary care between June 1, 2007 and June 1, 2009. Those who received more than one x-ray in that period were included only once. The technical and interpersonal skills of doctors were rated out the sum score of the questionnaire namely 25 and 30, respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to analyze the differences between the means of the satisfaction subscales and the patient characteristics.ResultsThe response proportion was after reminder 65 % (381/587 patients). Satisfaction with the technical skills of the doctor providing the teleradiology service was 22.4 ± 3.7, while satisfaction with the interpersonal skills of the doctor during the diagnostic phase was 26.8 ± 3.8. Island residents, the elderly, and those with no history of trauma were more satisfied with the technical and interpersonal aspects of the consultation than non-residents, younger patients, and those with a history of trauma.ConclusionPatients in the island community of Ameland experienced high levels of satisfaction with the teleradiology service offered in primary care.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12875-016-0418-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Highlights

Accessibility to secondary health services is not always easy for patients who live at a great distance of hospital
The present article deals with patient satisfaction of the x-ray and teleradiology service offered in primary care on the Dutch island of Ameland
This study completes our research into the pilot teleradiology service in primary care on the Dutch island of Ameland

Summary

Introduction

Accessibility to secondary health services is not always easy for patients who live at a great distance of hospital. The debate as to whether traditional secondary care services can be transferred to primary care has received renewed impetus, because of the need to control spiraling healthcare costs [1,2,3] and because of developments in the available technology [4,5,6,7,8]. It is possible for the general practitioner (GP) and the specialist to discuss and determine treatment options through the exchange of electronic data files. The aim of this article is to investigate the satisfaction of patients toward a new teleradiology facility offered in primary care in an island community

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