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. 2023 Sep 28:9:20552076231203887.
doi: 10.1177/20552076231203887. eCollection 2023 Jan-Dec.

Exploring the impact of patient, physician and technology factors on patient video consultation satisfaction

Kim Tenfelde  1 , Nadine Bol  1 , Guus G Schoonman  1   2 , Jan Erik H Bunt  3 , Marjolijn L Antheunis  1
Affiliations

Exploring the impact of patient, physician and technology factors on patient video consultation satisfaction

Kim Tenfelde et al. Digit Health. .

Abstract

Objective: Video consultations (VCs) were made available to the general population during the COVID-19 pandemic to compensate for the cutback of face-to-face doctor-patient interactions. However, little is known about what patient-related (e.g. age), physician-related (e.g. patient-physician relationship) and technology-related (e.g. online privacy concerns) factors contribute to video consultation satisfaction among patients. This study aims to gain a better understanding of what makes patients satisfied with video consultations.

Methods: A total of 180 patients who recently engaged in a video consultation were invited to answer questions about patient-, physician- and technology-related variables and their satisfaction with the video consultation. To examine which factors predict patient video consultation satisfaction, a multiple hierarchical regression analysis was performed.

Results: Overall, patients were satisfied with their video consultation. The final hierarchical model, including all patient-related, physician-related and technology-related factors, significantly contributed to patient video consultation satisfaction. Predictors of higher patient video consultation satisfaction were experiencing less technical issues, having higher general positive attitudes towards online communication, reporting higher importance of less travel time and being more satisfied with physicians' affective and instrumental communication.

Conclusions: Video consultations can be appropriate in a variety of situations, provided that technical issues can be minimized, patients have a positive attitude towards online communication and attach value to reduced travel time and online patient-physician interactions can be experienced as affective and instrumental. Findings from this study contribute to understanding how video consultations can be best utilized for effective patient-physician communication.

Keywords: Telemedicine; eHealth; patient satisfaction; patient-physician communication; video consultations.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Visual overview of the factors related to patient VC satisfaction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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