• Am J Otolaryngol · May 2021

    Patient satisfaction with telemedicine in rhinology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    • Firas Hentati, Claudia I Cabrera, Brian D'Anza, and Kenneth Rodriguez.
    • Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106.
    • Am J Otolaryngol. 2021 May 1; 42 (3): 102921.

    BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has forced the rapid integration of telemedicine services across several specialties, especially in Otolaryngology where risk of transmission is very high. Studies before and during the COVID-19 pandemic have shown that Otolaryngology is generally amenable to telemedicine. However, few studies have assessed patient satisfaction with telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and fewer have focused on patient satisfaction with telehealth in Rhinology.ObjectivesTo determine if patients believe the benefits of virtual live synchronous telemedicine visits out-weigh the drawbacks when compared to in-person clinical visits.MethodsSingle center retrospective case series and survey study of patients presenting to a tertiary care Rhinology practice between 3/15/2020 and 6/1/2020. All patients had previous in-person encounters with Rhinology (n = 45).ResultsTwenty-nine participants (64.4%) had audio-video visits while 16 (35.6%) had audio visits. 36 (80%) patients stated that their needs were met during their telemedicine visit while 32 (71.1%) patients felt that nothing was missed or not addressed during the virtual visit. The most commonly cited advantage to telemedicine visits was convenience (22.2%) and provider availability (20.0%). While most participants did not disclose a disadvantage to a virtual visit besides the lack of a physical exam (68.9%), the most commonly cited disadvantage to a virtual visit was technological difficulties (17.8%).ConclusionsVirtual telemedicine visits were shown to effectively meet the needs of established patients and address concerns in a convenient time efficient manner. However, patients indicated that limited technology and a less personalized feel hindered the telemedicine experience in Rhinology.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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