Background

Telehealth in rheumatology has been a topic of interest for many years, but the COVID-19 pandemic placed it in the forefront.

Aim

The aim of this study was to evaluate patient perception of rheumatology telehealth and determine predictive factors for future telehealth acceptability.

Method

A questionnaire containing 30 questions was sent to public and private rheumatology patients who attended telehealth appointments between April and May 2020. The questionnaire aimed to obtain information on baseline demographics, traditional appointment details, telehealth appointment details, and appointment satisfaction using a 5-point Likert scale. Descriptive statistical analysis was conducted.

Results

The questionnaire was sent to 1452 patients, of whom 494 patients responded (34%). More than 70% of responses indicated overall satisfaction in specialist care via telehealth, and 88.7% perceived this suitable during a pandemic. Less than 50% of patients were agreeable for future telehealth either via phone or video conference after the pandemic is over. Higher odds ratio for future telehealth acceptability was associated with visual impairment, perceived cost effectiveness and previous time lost at work for a face-to-face appointment.

Conclusion

During the unprecedented time of the pandemic, telehealth appointments (phone/ video) assisted in providing ongoing patient care remotely, with high level of satisfaction seen in this study. The patient experience and perception of telehealth was strongly influenced by financial incentives, and certain subgroups of patients were more accepting for future telehealth appointments. Nevertheless, low level of future telehealth acceptability also highlighted the potential dissatisfaction amongst patients in telehealth compared to the traditional appointments.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.