Patient Satisfaction With Remote Consultations in a Primary Care Setting.

Abstract

IntroductionIn recent years, the use of remote consultations has increased considerably. Many patient encounters in general practice are now conducted by phone or computer as opposed to traditional face-to-face appointments. The aim of this study was to measure patient satisfaction with remote consultations in a primary care setting.AimsTo assess patient satisfaction with telephone consultations in a general practice setting and explore patient’s experiences and attitudes toward remote consultations in general practice to formulate recommendations for potential telehealth improvements.MethodsA total of 407 patients who had undergone primary care telephone consultations within the previous week were invited to provide feedback. Patient satisfaction was measured by a four-step questionnaire on patient experience, which was quantified on a Likert agreement scale, and the additional option of a comment section at the end of each questionnaire. The responses in the comment section were analysed according to the frequency of recurrent themes.ResultsThe responses of 104 patients were included in the final analysis, and 44 patients used the comment section to provide additional information about their experience. Overall, the satisfaction with remote consultations was high while the rate of technical failure and the need for in-person follow-up were both low: 60 patients (58%) either agreed or strongly agreed that remote consultations are a convenient way of receiving health care and 26 patients (25%) would prefer to have remote consultations over face-to-face ones in the future while 42 patients (40%) would prefer face-to-face consultations in the future. Ninety-six (96) patients (92%) reported no technical problems affecting the consultation quality. Of all 104 face-to-face appointments, only 36 patients (35%) required in-person follow-up. Analyses of the comment section largely reflect the above findings but also highlight concerns from patients that remote consultations can generate additional anxiety, and symptoms might not be communicated effectively or even missed completely.DiscussionThe high satisfaction levels, low rates of technical failure and low need for a face-to-face follow-up show that in a primary care setting, remote consultations are an effective complement to face-to-face appointments. Nonetheless, the requirement for face-to-face contact goes beyond the need for physical examination alone, with many patients preferring face-to-face contact when discussing complex and sensitive health-related topics and symptoms.