Patient Experience with Telehealth Medicine During the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic in New York City

Patient perspectives on ocular oncology care at hybrid telehealth satellite offices

OBJECTIVE

To assess patient satisfaction with the hybrid telehealth model in patients undergoing follow-up care in ocular oncology.

DESIGN

Retrospective survey study.

PARTICIPANTS

All patients who visited 1 of 2 satellite telehealth offices between July 2021 and October 2022 for their follow-up ocular oncology appointment.

METHODS

A 13-question online survey was completed for outcome measures of patient demographics, patient satisfaction with the satellite offices, and overall patient experience with telehealth.

RESULTS

The survey response rate was 32% (203 of 632). The mean patient age was 65 years (median, 65 years), and 119 patients (58%) were female. A comparison (suburban satellite vs urban in-person office) revealed that the suburban satellite office had less difficulty in travel (3% vs 47%; p < 0.001) and less time commitment (<1 hour) for travel to the office (58% vs 23%; p < 0.001). On a scale (i.e., poor, fair, good, or excellent), the percentage of patients reported the following parameters as good or excellent: ease of finding satellite office (95%), check-in (94%), and time spent waiting for the doctor (72%). On a scale (i.e., extremely dissatisfied to extremely satisfied), the percentage of patients reported being extremely satisfied to the following parameters: the staff (81%) and the office overall (65%). Most patients (90%) would use this telehealth model for future visits (p < 0.0001), and 86% would recommend it to a friend (p < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

In this study on a hybrid telehealth satellite office model for ocular oncology follow-up examinations, patient satisfaction was high, most patients would use this form of examination in the future.