Ben-Ari Erel, Kirschenbaum Joshua, Patel Ruby G, Kwon Young W, Rokito Andrew S, Zuckerman Joseph D, Virk Mandeep S
Division of Shoulder & Elbow, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA; Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tel-Hashomer "Sheba" Medical Center, Sackler School of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Division of Shoulder & Elbow, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA.
J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2021 Dec;30(12):e703-e712. doi: 10.1016/j.jse.2021.05.008. Epub 2021 Jun 2.
The objective of this study was to assess patient satisfaction and preference for telemedicine vs. in-person visits for outpatient shoulder and elbow musculoskeletal consultation during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and in the future.
Patients who had telemedicine visits for shoulder and elbow musculoskeletal complaints at a single institution from March through June 2020 were invited to respond to a post-visit survey. The survey included a standardized questionnaire that focused on the patient's satisfaction with the telemedicine visits during the pandemic and preference for using the telemedicine platform in the future, following the pandemic. Additional details regarding their virtual visits (severity of medical condition, as well as previous virtual or emergency department visits) were also obtained. Data regarding patient demographic characteristics and visit details (primary diagnosis, type of visit, length of visit, and treating physician) were extracted from the electronic medical records.
In total, 153 patients participated in the study. Overall, high satisfaction scores regarding the telemedicine visits were noted: 91% of patients reported that their concerns were adequately addressed, 89% would recommend telemedicine to a friend, and 94% stated that they would use the telemedicine platform again in the presence of a situation similar to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the majority of patients (76%) reported a preference for in-person visits for the same musculoskeletal complaint if it were not for COVID-19. A telemedicine visit duration > 10 minutes and a first-time telemedicine visit correlated with higher satisfaction rates (P = .037 and P = .001, respectively).
COVID-19 has provided a boost to the use of our telemedicine platform, with a high satisfaction rate among patients with shoulder and elbow musculoskeletal complaints, largely owing to safety reasons and limited access to in-person doctor visits. However, a considerable number of patients would have preferred in-person visits for similar health complaints if there were no pandemic. Further research on optimizing the selection of patients for telemedicine visits and addressing their expectations and concerns regarding their visits will improve patients' preference for future telemedicine visits.
本研究的目的是评估在2019年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间及未来，患者对远程医疗与门诊肩肘肌肉骨骼疾病会诊的面对面就诊的满意度和偏好。
邀请2020年3月至6月在单一机构因肩肘肌肉骨骼疾病进行远程医疗就诊的患者参与就诊后调查。该调查包括一份标准化问卷，重点关注患者对大流行期间远程医疗就诊的满意度以及大流行后未来使用远程医疗平台的偏好。还获取了有关其虚拟就诊的其他详细信息（病情严重程度以及之前的虚拟就诊或急诊就诊情况）。从电子病历中提取患者人口统计学特征和就诊详细信息（主要诊断、就诊类型、就诊时长和主治医生）的数据。
共有153名患者参与了该研究。总体而言，远程医疗就诊的满意度得分较高：91%的患者报告其担忧得到了充分解决，89%的患者会向朋友推荐远程医疗，94%的患者表示在出现类似于COVID-19大流行的情况时会再次使用远程医疗平台。然而，大多数患者（76%）报告称，如果不是因为COVID-19，对于相同的肌肉骨骼疾病，他们更倾向于面对面就诊。远程医疗就诊时长>10分钟以及首次进行远程医疗就诊与更高的满意度相关（分别为P = 0.037和P = 0.001）。
COVID-19推动了我们远程医疗平台的使用，肩肘肌肉骨骼疾病患者中的满意度较高，主要原因是安全因素以及面对面看医生的机会有限。然而，如果没有大流行，相当数量的患者对于类似的健康问题会更倾向于面对面就诊。进一步研究优化远程医疗就诊患者的选择，并解决他们对就诊的期望和担忧，将提高患者对未来远程医疗就诊的偏好。
