Agile Application of Video Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Satisfaction with telemedicine use during COVID-19 pandemic in the UK: a systematic review

Background: Telemedicine became a fundamental part of healthcare provision during COVID-19 pandemic. An evaluation of telemedicine-associated satisfaction helps the service develop more viable applications. This review evaluated the satisfaction of healthcare users and providers and their willingness to use this modality in future.Methods: The study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. A search on empirical articles published between March 2020 and December 2022 was performed on 'PubMed' and 'Scopus' databases. Findings that reported on satisfaction of patients, families and caregivers as well as clinicians were extracted and analysed. Quality of included studies was assessed. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, the review included 27 eligible studies.Results: Data was found from a variety of emergency and non-emergency departments of primary, secondary, and specialised healthcare. Almost all studies were undertaken within the NHS. There were many tools that measured satisfaction. Satisfaction was high among recipients of healthcare, scoring 9-10 on a scale of 0-10 or ranging from 73.3% to 100%. Convenience was rated high in every specialty examined. Satisfaction of clinicians was high throughout the specialities despite connection failure and concerns about confidentiality of information. Nonetheless, studies reported perception of increased barriers to accessing care and inequalities for vulnerable patients especially in older people. In general, willingness to use telemedicine in future was high in the recipients as well as the providers of healthcare.Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic has transformed healthcare in the UK and promoted a revolution in telemedicine applications. Satisfaction was high among both recipient and provider of healthcare. Telemedicine managed to provide a continued care throughout the pandemic while maintaining social distance. The current review presented commendable evidence to encourage different specialities to engage in telemedicine application.

Patient Satisfaction with the Implementation of Telehealth in Ambulatory Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Single Institution Experience

Background

COVID-19 has reduced the capacity for delivering essential health services due to lockdown restrictions. Telehealth is an effective alternative option to improve healthcare access. However, there remain implementation challenges to patient adoption in resource-limited settings such as Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess patient satisfaction following the implementation of telehealth in ambulatory settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia. Patients who used the telehealth service were invited to participate in a patient satisfaction survey. All statistical analyses were performed using STATA Version 14.1.

Result

A total of 149 patients have participated in the survey. Out of the total participants, 129 (86.6%) found that telehealth is easy to understand and overall satisfaction for telehealth was 87.9%. About two-thirds of the patients (97, 65.1%) reported that the telehealth visit is just as good as a traditional visit. The vast majority of participants (148, 98.6%) stated that they would definitely or probably use telehealth again and would recommend it to others. The majority of respondents (137, 91.9%) followed the recommendations provided.

Conclusion

Patients have a high level of satisfaction with the use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. About two-thirds of patients said the telehealth visit was just as good as a traditional visit. The majority of patients followed the recommendations given to them by the healthcare providers and stated that they would definitely or probably use telehealth in the future and would recommend it to others. This high level of patient satisfaction with telehealth implementation suggests that the service could be considered in low-income countries as well.

Views of family members on using video calls during the hospital admission of a patient: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Utilization of video calls on hospital wards to facilitate involvement of and communication with family members is still limited. A deeper understanding of the needs and expectations of family members regarding video calls on hospital wards is necessary, to identify potential barriers and facilitate video calls in practice.

AIM

The aim of this study was to explore the views, expectations and needs of a patient's family members regarding the use of video calls between family members, patients and healthcare professionals, during the patient's hospital admission.

METHODS

A qualitative study was carried out. Semi-structured interviews with family members of patients admitted to two hospitals were conducted between February and May 2022. Family members of patients admitted to the surgical, internal medicine and gynaecological wards were recruited.

RESULTS

Twelve family members of patients participated. Family members stated that they perceive video calls as a supplemental option and prefer live visits during hospital admission. They expected video calls to initiate additional moments of contact with healthcare professionals, e.g. to join in medical rounds. When deploying video calls, family members mentioned that adequate instruction and technical support by nurses should be available.

CONCLUSION

Family members considered video calls valuable when visiting is not possible or to participate in medical rounds or other contacts with healthcare professionals outside of visiting hours.

IMPLICATIONS

Family members need to be supported in options and use of video calls on hospital wards. Additional knowledge about actual participation in care through video calls is needed as well as the effect on patient, family and healthcare professional outcomes.

IMPACT

Using video calls on hospital wards can provide family members with flexible alternatives for contact and promote family involvement.

REPORTING METHOD

COREQ guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Family members of patients admitted to hospital have contributed by sharing their perspectives in interviews. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER CONTRIBUTE TO THE WIDER GLOBAL CLINICAL COMMUNITY?: Family members perceive additional value from the use of video calls on hospital wards. For family, use of video calls needs to be facilitated with clear instruction materials and support.

TRIAL AND PROTOCOL REGISTRATION

Amsterdam UMC Medical Ethics Review Committee (ref number W21_508 # 21.560).

Telemedicine in Emergency Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic-Experiences and Prospects-A Narrative Review

Even before the year 2020, telemedicine has been proven to contribute to the efficacy of healthcare systems, for example in remote locations or in primary care. However, with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth solutions have emerged as a key component in patient healthcare delivery and they have been widely used in emergency medicine ever since. The pandemic has led to a growth in the number of telehealth applications and improved quality of already available telemedicine solutions. The implementation of telemedicine, especially in emergency departments (EDs), has helped to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect healthcare workers. This narrative review focuses on the most important innovative solutions in emergency care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. It outlines main categories of active telehealth use in daily practice of dealing with COVID-19 patients currently, and in the future. Furthermore, it discusses benefits as well as limitations of telemedicine.

Patient Satisfaction with Telemedicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Systematic Review

Telemedicine is a convenient tool for providing medical care remotely. It is routinely offered as an alternative to face-to-face consultations in healthcare settings all over the world. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased use of telemedicine in everyday clinical practice, the effectiveness of this modality and patient satisfaction with telemedicine is a subject of growing concern. PubMed and Google Scholar databases were searched. Papers published between January 2020 and August 2021 which met inclusion and exclusion criteria were analyzed. During the COVID-19 pandemic patients have found telemedicine a beneficial tool for consulting healthcare providers. A high level of satisfaction with telehealth was observed in each study across every medical specialty. Telemedicine is undoubtedly a convenient tool that has helped ensure continuity of medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to its considerable potential. In particular situations, telehealth may adequately replace face-to-face consultation. Regular patients’ feedback is necessary to improve the use of telemedicine in the future.

Exploring Patient and Staff Experiences With Video Consultations During COVID-19 in an English Outpatient Care Setting: Secondary Data Analysis of Routinely Collected Feedback Data

Background

Video consultations (VCs) were rapidly implemented in response to COVID-19 despite modest progress before.

Objective

We aim to explore staff and patient experiences with VCs implemented during COVID-19 and use feedback insights to support quality improvement and service development.

Methods

Secondary data analysis was conducted on 955 patient and 521 staff responses (from 4234 consultations; 955/4234, 22.6% and 521/4234, 12.3%, respectively) routinely collected following a VC between June and July 2020 in a rural, older adult, and outpatient care setting at a National Health Service Trust. Responses were summarized using descriptive statistics and inductive thematic analysis and presented to Trust stakeholders.

Results

Most patients (890/955, 93.2%) reported having good (210/955, 22%) or very good (680/955, 71.2%) experience with VCs and felt listened to and understood (904/955, 94.7%). Most patients accessed their VC alone (806/955, 84.4%) except for those aged ≥71 years (23/58, 40%), with ease of joining VCs negatively associated with age (P<.001). Despite more difficulties joining, older adults were most likely to be satisfied with the technology (46/58, 79%). Patients and staff generally felt that patients’ needs had been met (860/955, 90.1% and 453/521, 86.9%, respectively), although staff appeared to overestimate patient dissatisfaction with VC outcomes (P=.02). Patients (848/955, 88.8%) and staff (419/521, 80.5%) felt able to communicate everything they wanted, although patients were significantly more positive than staff (P<.001). Patient satisfaction with communication was positively associated with technical performance satisfaction (P<.001). Most staff members (466/521, 89.4%) reported positive (185/521, 35.5%) or very positive (281/521, 53.9%) experiences with joining and managing VCs. Staff reported reductions in carbon footprint (380/521, 72.9%) and time (373/521, 71.6%). Most patients (880/955, 92.1%) would choose VCs again. We identified three themes in responses: barriers, including technological difficulties, patient information, and suitability concerns; potential benefits, including reduced stress, enhanced accessibility, cost, and time savings; and suggested improvements, including trial calls, turning music off, photo uploads, expanding written character limit, supporting other internet browsers, and shared online screens. This routine feedback, including evidence to suggest that patients were more satisfied than clinicians had anticipated, was presented to relevant Trust stakeholders, allowing for improved processes and supporting the development of a business case to inform the Trust decision on continuing VCs beyond COVID-19 restrictions.

Conclusions

The findings highlight the importance of regularly reviewing and responding to routine feedback following digital service implementation. The feedback helped the Trust improve the VC service, challenge clinician-held assumptions about patient experience, and inform future use of VCs. It has focused improvement efforts on patient information; technological improvements such as blurred backgrounds and interactive whiteboards; and responding to the needs of patients with dementia, communication or cognitive impairment, or lack of appropriate technology. These findings have implications for other health care providers.

The Research on Patient Satisfaction with Remote Healthcare Prior to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The issue of research on patient satisfaction with healthcare services took on a completely new dimension due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the developing telehealth services. This results from the fact that during the pandemic, remote healthcare was often the only possible form of care provision to the patient. The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially accelerated the implementation of remote healthcare in healthcare institutions and made it an essential tool for providing healthcare services. The objective of the literature review was to study the research on patient satisfaction with remote healthcare services prior to and during the pandemic. The study featured a literature review of electronic databases, such as: Medline, ProQuest, PubMED, Ebsco, Google Scholar, WoS. The identified empirical papers were classified in two groups concerning the research on patient satisfaction prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and were divided and descriptively synthesised. Certain limitations to the methodical quality of the research were demonstrated as result of the conducted analyses. It was also ascertained that researchers lack clarity on the method of defining and measuring satisfaction prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Benefits and Risks of the Provision of a Hospital-Wide High-Definition Video Conferencing Virtual Visiting Service for Patients and Their Relatives

Background

Since the start of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, virtual visiting (VV) has become important because of visiting restrictions in hospitals. This project aimed to determine the impact of VV on staff and patients’ loved ones (visitors).

Methodology

VV is defined as high-resolution video communication between admitted COVID-19 patients and their loved ones in the presence of a staff member using a healthcare platform. VV was introduced in a 419-bedded hospital in the UK in April 2020. Qualitative data on the VV experience were collected from relatives and staff via an open feedback email address and reflective practice. Data were entered and analyzed in person by two independent assessors. Grounded theory methodology and thematic analysis were used to draw conclusions.

Results

Between April 16, 2020 and November 30, 2020, 1,009 visits were delivered. There were 138 feedback responses; 108 (78.3%) from relatives and 30 (21.7%) from staff. The amalgamation of data was resolved into five themes: appreciative factors (129, 93.5%), organizational skills (44, 31.9%), palliative care (38, 27.5%), staff communication (14, 10.1%), and VV process issues (11, 7.9%).

A total of 131 (94.9%) responses had positive comments (111 from relatives, 20 from staff); negative comments were greater in the staff cohort (23%) than the relative group (4%). Trends included sub-themes in overwhelming emotions, emotional strain for staff members, and difficult situations.

Conclusions

VV in hospitals is a new and valuable way to connect patients with loved ones with mostly positive consequences. VV also has risks to mental health and well-being, particularly for healthcare workers facilitating the call.

Hybrid Surgical Hot Clinic (HSHC): Evaluation of Surgical Hot Clinic Services during COVID-19 Lockdown

Background

Surgical Hot Clinic (SHC) is an acute, ambulatory service for management provided on an outpatient basis. Following the start of global Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and as per the statement released by the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI), we also modified our services to hybrid SHC (HSHC) by mainly providing telephonic follow-up with an occasional face-to-face (F2F) service. We conducted a service evaluation to assess the effectiveness and serviceability of HSHC during a pandemic.

Methods

This service evaluation was conducted from 30th March till 26th May 2020. The pathway was developed to mostly telephonic consultation with selective face-to-face consultation at a designated area in the medical ambulatory unit. The analysis then performed using SPSS version 21.

Results

As the overall attendance fell in hospital, 149 patients, including 54(36.2%) male, and 95(63.8%) females, attended SHC during COVID-19 lockdown. Out of these 149, 87(58.3%) were referred from Accident & Emergency (A&E), 2(1.3%) from GP, 9(6.04%) after scan through radiology department, while 51(34.2%) after discharge from hospital. Out of those who have telephonic consultation (n = 98), 12 patients were called in for review with either blood tests or further clinical examination. In total, only 10 out of 149 patients required admission to the hospital, for either intervention or symptomatic treatment.

Conclusion

Hybrid Surgical Hot Clinic (HSHC) with both telephonic & face-to-face consultation, as per requirement, is flexible, effective and safe patient-focused acute surgical service during COVID-19 like crisis.