Patient satisfaction with telephone consultations in cardiology outpatients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic required a radical change in healthcare delivery methods, including the remote delivery of many outpatient services. We aimed to understand patient satisfaction with telephone consultations. Patients who had undergone a cardiology telephone consultation between 24 February and 19 July 2021 were asked to complete a survey. The survey assessed their satisfaction with the consultation and their preference between remote and face-to-face consultation. The 56 responses demonstrated high levels of satisfaction with 56% agreeing they were "completely satisfied" with the consultation compared with 5% who disagreed. However, 63% would have preferred a face-to-face appointment compared with 22% preferring a telephone consultation. No patterns were observed that might help to guide who should be offered the different modalities of consultation; to maximise patient satisfaction a flexible and individualised approach is likely to be required.