• Daniel Söderberg, Stephanie E Bonn, Linnea Sjöblom, Anna Dahlgren, Irene Muli, Isis Amer-Wåhlin, Bo C Bertilson, Nasim Farrokhnia, Helena Hvitfeldt, Marina Taloyan, Maria Hägglund, and Ylva Trolle Lagerros.
• Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine (Solna), Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. daniel.soderberg@ki.se.
• J Gen Intern Med. 2024 Nov 1; 39 (15): 288128872881-2887.

BackgroundThere is a lack of research comparing patient experience and to what extent patients' care needs are fulfilled in telemedicine compared to in-person care.ObjectiveTo investigate if patient experience and fulfillment of care needs differ between video and chat visits with direct to consumer telemedicine providers compared to in-person visits.DesignCross-sectional study.ParticipantsAdults visiting a primary care physician in person or via chat or video in Region Stockholm, Sweden, October 2020-May 2021.Main MeasuresPatient-reported visit experience and fulfillment of care needs.Key ResultsThe sample included 3315 patients who had an in-person (1950), video (844), or chat (521) visit. Response rates were 42% for in-person visitors and 41% for telemedicine visitors. Patients were 18-97 years old, mean age of 51 years, and 66% were female. In-person visitors reported the most positive patient experience ("To a very high degree" or "Yes, completely") for being listened to (64%), being treated with care (64%), and feeling trust and confidence in the health care professional (76%). Chat visitors reported the most positive patient experience for being given enough time (61%) and having care needs fulfilled during the care visit (76%). Video visitors had the largest proportion of respondents choosing "To a very low degree" or "No, not at all" for all visit experience measures. There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of visit experiences between in-person, video, and chat visits for all visit experience measures (P < 0.001).ConclusionsVideo visits were associated with a more negative visit experience and lower fulfillment of care needs than in-person visits. Chat visits were associated with a similar patient experience and fulfillment of care needs as in-person visits. Chat visits may be a viable alternative to in-person visits for selected patients.© 2024. The Author(s).

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