Thelen-Perry Steven, Ved Rohan, Ellimoottil Chad
Department of Urology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Mhealth. 2018 Nov 19;4:54. doi: 10.21037/mhealth.2018.11.02. eCollection 2018.
Telemedicine utilization, including use of video visits, is growing rapidly. While much enthusiasm surrounds telemedicine, the successful implementation of video visits within health systems requires providers to evaluate patient's experience with the implemented technology and workflow.
Twenty patients who completed a video visit in the Department of Urology at Michigan Medicine were contacted and asked if they would be willing to share their experience. Patients underwent a semi-structured telephone interview. Using an interview guide, patients were asked questions about the enrollment process, their overall impression of the visit, and feedback to improve the visit. Interview comments were categorized into three primary themes: usability, quality of the visit, and comparison to a traditional in-clinic visit.
Most patients who underwent a urological video visit were highly satisfied with their experience. Most patients also reported being able to join the video visit with minimal issues. However, some patients expressed issues downloading the application and interpreting our educational materials. In regard to quality of the visit, most patients were impressed and pleased. While there was no criticism regarding the picture-quality of the video visit, a few patients reported issues with the audio. It was apparent that quality of video was dependent on quality of the patient's internet connection. When comparing the video visit to a traditional in-clinic visit, patients-especially parents with children at home-found the video visit to be more efficient.
Our study found that patients were pleased with their urological video visit experience, and there were details about our workflow that would not have been evident without interviews. These findings suggest that while video visits are suitable alternatives to in-clinic appointments at academic medical centers, it is important for providers to obtain direct feedback from patients to identify workflow and technical issues.
远程医疗的应用，包括视频问诊，正在迅速增长。尽管人们对远程医疗充满热情，但要在医疗系统中成功实施视频问诊，医疗服务提供者需要评估患者对所实施技术和工作流程的体验。
我们联系了在密歇根大学医学中心泌尿外科完成视频问诊的20名患者，询问他们是否愿意分享自己的体验。患者接受了半结构化电话访谈。使用访谈指南，询问患者关于注册流程、对问诊的总体印象以及改进问诊的反馈等问题。访谈评论被归纳为三个主要主题：可用性、问诊质量以及与传统门诊问诊的比较。
大多数接受泌尿外科视频问诊的患者对他们的体验非常满意。大多数患者还报告称能够在几乎没有问题的情况下参加视频问诊。然而，一些患者表示在下载应用程序和理解我们的教育材料方面存在问题。关于问诊质量，大多数患者印象深刻且感到满意。虽然没有人对视频问诊的画面质量提出批评，但有少数患者报告了音频方面的问题。很明显，视频质量取决于患者的网络连接质量。将视频问诊与传统门诊问诊进行比较时，患者——尤其是家中有孩子的父母——发现视频问诊更高效。
我们的研究发现患者对他们的泌尿外科视频问诊体验感到满意，而且如果没有进行访谈，我们工作流程中的一些细节可能不会显现出来。这些发现表明，虽然视频问诊是学术医疗中心门诊预约的合适替代方式，但医疗服务提供者从患者那里获得直接反馈以识别工作流程和技术问题很重要。
