Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2024 Sep;76(5):2031-2041.
doi: 10.1007/s13304-024-01780-z. Epub 2024 Apr 15.

Patients' perception of using telehealth for consultation: insights after pandemic and development of an online calculator platform to predict acceptance of remote consultation: the TELEMED international study

Luis Sánchez-Guillén  1 , Cristina Lillo-García  2 , Xavier Barber  3 , César González-Mora  4 , Mario Álvarez-Gallego  5 , Argyrios Ioannidis  6 , Stefan Clermonts  7 , Alice Frontali  8 , Roberto Saldaña  9 , Julio Mayol  10 , Gianluca Pellino  11   12 ; iHealthStudy Collaborators
Collaborators, Affiliations
Observational Study

Patients' perception of using telehealth for consultation: insights after pandemic and development of an online calculator platform to predict acceptance of remote consultation: the TELEMED international study

Luis Sánchez-Guillén et al. Updates Surg. 2024 Sep.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a change in healthcare models. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient acceptance of telehealth as an alternative to physical consultations, and to identify factors predicting higher satisfaction. This was an observational, cross-sectional, multi-center, international study. All consecutive patients for whom telehealth was used in consultations between April and July 2020 were considered for inclusion. The validated Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) was used as a model to measure patient acceptance. Overall, 747 patients were observed, of whom 721 agreed to participate (96·5%). The TUQ showed that 86·9% of patients agreed that telehealth was useful; 85·2% supported the interface quality and 81·4% endorsed the interaction quality. Patients aged > 60 y were less likely to agree with the use of telehealth (p < 0·05). A web-based prediction tool was generated to calculate global satisfaction and to identify patients more likely to feel comfortable with telehealth. Telehealth is feasible and allows consultations that are satisfactory for patients. Technological advancements could ease safe implementation of telehealth into everyday practice. Adequate patient selection can be useful to ensure that the ideal strategy is used for each individual during and after the pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; Patient satisfaction; Technology acceptance; Telehealth.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Guan WJ, Ni Z-Y, Hu Y et al (2020) Clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 in China. N Engl J Med 382:1708–1720. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2020.04.004 - DOI
    1. Singh AP, Berman AT, Marmarelis ME et al (2020) Management of lung cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic. JCO Oncol Pract 16(9):579–586. https://doi.org/10.1200/OP.20.00286 - DOI
    1. Smith AC, Thomas E, Snoswell CL et al (2020) Telehealth for global emergencies: implications for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). J Telemed Telecare 26(5):309–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633X20916567 - DOI
    1. Chopra V, Toner E, Waldhorn R, Washer L (2020) How should U.S. hospitals prepare for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? Ann Intern Med 172(9):621–622. https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-0907 - DOI
    1. Buvik A, Bugge E, Knutsen G, Småbrekke A, Wilsgaard T (2019) Patient reported outcomes with remote orthopaedic consultations by telemedicine: a randomised controlled trial. J Telemed Telecare 25(8):451–459. https://doi.org/10.1177/1357633X18783921 - DOI

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources