What is the patient's and multidisciplinary team's perspective on telephone clinics?

Abstract

Background/Aims During the COVID-19 pandemic, inflammatory bowel disease clinics were converted to telephone clinics at St. Mark's Hospital in Harrow. This study assessed the response of patients and clinicians to remote telemedicine services, with the view of establishing whether there was scope for increasing the role of remote services in the inflammatory bowel disease clinics. Methods Clinicians administered a questionnaire to patients at the end of their appointments regarding their opinions on the telephone clinic format. Eleven questions used a 5-point Likert scale while a further three questions asked the patient for their comments on future clinics. Clinicians provided information about the patients' condition and management, as well as their own comments. Results Overall satisfaction with telephone clinics was found to be high among patients and clinicans, with many feeling that telephone clinics were more convenient. In total, 94.3% of patients said they would prefer either all telephone or a mix of phone and face-to-face clinics in the future. However, some patients felt that it was more complicated to have blood or stool tests done and roughly a quarter of patients were concerned that something could be missed without a physical examination. Conclusions High patient satisfaction can be achieved by delivering a mix of telephone, video and face-to-face clinics. In certain clinical situations, face-to-face clinics would be appropriate, such as patients with active diseases and first appointments. The pandemic is an opportunity respond to patients' preferences by increasing the range of remote care options.