Patients’ Attendance to The Virtual Compared to The In-person Complimentary Outpatient Clinics at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Western Saudi Arabia: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, outpatient clinics in National Guard-Health Affairs Hospitals, Saudi Arabia, have shifted their healthcare services towards virtual clinics to keep up with patient appointments while maintaining infection control precautions. This study aimed to determine if patient attendance compliance has changed by implementing virtual “phone call” appointments compared to the conventional physical appointments in outpatient clinics. Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted by comparing patients’ demographic information, and compliance to virtual calls and physician recommendations during 2020 with the regular physical attendance clinics in 2019. Patient data was collected from the electronic medical records after randomly selecting the sample for each year from 6 main outpatient clinics. Results: During the 4-month period of 2020 (March-June), in which virtual clinics were implemented, there was a significant decrease in the attendance compliance when compared to the same period in 2019 conventional clinics. Data were analyzed for 404 and 407 patients’ medical records from each year, respectively. The drop in the clinic attendance compliance was the highest in the pediatric oncology clinic. Moreover, physician orders of investigations and medications were significantly reduced. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on patient care. Although that impact was seen greatest among those with chronic conditions and oncology patients, it was an essential step towards infection control during this difficult period. However, the pandemic is an opportunity to establish a comprehensive virtual care system that will ensure easy access and continuity of patient care. Key words: virtual clinic; patient attendance; telemedicine; telehealth