Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, Hong Kong, China.
Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2022 Jun;62(3):426-433. doi: 10.1111/ajo.13484. Epub 2022 Feb 1.
There is no urogynaecology teleconsultation services available in Hong Kong's public health system. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess Chinese womens' acceptance of teleconsultations during the COVID-19 pandemic using the validated Telemedicine Perception Questionnaire (TMPQ).
One hundred and fifty-one patients attending our urogynaecology clinic between February and March 2021 were recruited for an in-person interview. Patients who could not comprehend the questionnaire due to neurological or psychiatric conditions were excluded. TMPQ is a 17-item, five-point Likert scale questionnaire developed to assess the acceptability of telemedicine. Scores range from 17 to 85; a higher score reflects a more positive overall perception of telemedicine. Additional questions on demographics, medical history, Internet access and transport arrangements were included.
Mean age was 67.5 ± 11.3 years. Mean TMPQ score was 53.93 ± 8.49. Younger age, higher education, employment, prior telecommunication platform usage, lower travelling costs and interest in telemedicine were associated with a higher TMPQ score (P < 0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis found age (β = -0.132, 95% CI (confidence interval): -0.225 to -0.04), interest in telemedicine (β = 10.169, 95% CI: 8.073-12.266) and post-operative status (β = 4.743, 95% CI: 1.172-8.314) significantly predicted TMPQ score (adjusted R = 0.427).
Our study found that the acceptability of telemedicine in Hong Kong was weak and identified patient groups that showed favourable attitudes. Future research directions would be to perform pilot studies to assess any change in perception after using telemedicine so that this service can be provided to patient groups who would benefit most, ensuring effective use of public resources.
香港公共医疗系统中没有泌尿科妇科远程会诊服务。本横断面研究旨在使用经过验证的远程医疗感知问卷（TMPQ）评估 COVID-19 大流行期间中国女性对远程会诊的接受程度。
2021 年 2 月至 3 月期间，我们招募了 151 名在泌尿科妇科诊所就诊的患者进行面对面访谈。由于神经或精神疾病而无法理解问卷的患者被排除在外。TMPQ 是一种 17 项、五分制李克特量表问卷，用于评估远程医疗的可接受性。分数范围为 17 至 85；分数越高，对远程医疗的整体感知越积极。还包括关于人口统计学、病史、互联网接入和交通安排的其他问题。
平均年龄为 67.5±11.3 岁。平均 TMPQ 得分为 53.93±8.49。年龄较小、受教育程度较高、就业、先前使用电信平台、较低的旅行费用和对远程医疗的兴趣与 TMPQ 得分较高相关（P<0.05）。多元线性回归分析发现年龄（β=-0.132，95%CI（置信区间）：-0.225 至-0.04）、对远程医疗的兴趣（β=10.169，95%CI：8.073-12.266）和术后状态（β=4.743，95%CI：1.172-8.314）显著预测 TMPQ 得分（调整后的 R2=0.427）。
我们的研究发现，香港对远程医疗的接受程度较弱，并确定了对远程医疗持有利态度的患者群体。未来的研究方向是进行试点研究，以评估使用远程医疗后的感知变化，以便将这项服务提供给最受益的患者群体，确保有效利用公共资源。
