In a pandemic that limits contact, can videoconferencing enable interdisciplinary persistent pain services and what are the patient's perspectives?
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Author(s)
Brown, Jarryd
Doherty, Darren
Claus, Andrew P
Gilbert, Kelly
Nielsen, Mandy
Year published
2021
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Objective: Patients' thoughts and satisfaction with using videoconferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic were explored. The current study aimed to gather; i) patient feedback and satisfaction with videoconferencing across all health professions as well as divided into a subgroup for each profession, ii) patient preferences for either videoconference or face-to-face consultations during the pandemic lockdown, and iii) whether patients would consider using videoconferencing once face-to-face appointments were available. Design: An observational cross-sectional, mixed methods study design. Setting: Tertiary level persistent ...
View more >Objective: Patients' thoughts and satisfaction with using videoconferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic were explored. The current study aimed to gather; i) patient feedback and satisfaction with videoconferencing across all health professions as well as divided into a subgroup for each profession, ii) patient preferences for either videoconference or face-to-face consultations during the pandemic lockdown, and iii) whether patients would consider using videoconferencing once face-to-face appointments were available. Design: An observational cross-sectional, mixed methods study design. Setting: Tertiary level persistent pain centre. Participants: Sixty-five patients aged 18-85 years with persistent pain lasting > 12 months. Interventions: NOT Applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Data was collected using a patient survey. Descriptive statistics were used to report findings from 5-point Likert scales. Qualitative analysis was guided by content analysis to organise and categorise the open-ended survey response text. Results: Videoconferencing platform features including audio-visual, usability, and privacy worked well for most patients (≥90%). Two-thirds of those surveyed reported the videoconferencing sessions as equal to face-to-face attendance (68%), and, in the context of the pandemic, almost as many preferred videoconferencing (65%), while 26% preferred face-to-face attendance and 9% were unsure. Preferences for videoconferencing over face-to-face in context to the pandemic varied depending on the health discipline involved: Pharmacy (83%), Occupational Therapy (78%), Psychology (61%), Pain Specialist Physician (59%), Physiotherapy (53%). Even outside of a pandemic situation, 80% would consider using videoconferencing in the future. Qualitative analysis on an open-ended question asking patients for any further comments regarding their experience with the videoconference consultation, found three main categories: 1) overall satisfaction with videoconferencing, 2) technology qualities and 3) clinical interaction. Conclusion: In the context of a pandemic, videoconferencing for interdisciplinary persistent pain management services was effective, preferred and most patients would continue its use into the future. Alternative or mixed modes of support may be needed for the 26% who currently prefer onsite attendance, when that mode of delivery is not available.
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View more >Objective: Patients' thoughts and satisfaction with using videoconferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic were explored. The current study aimed to gather; i) patient feedback and satisfaction with videoconferencing across all health professions as well as divided into a subgroup for each profession, ii) patient preferences for either videoconference or face-to-face consultations during the pandemic lockdown, and iii) whether patients would consider using videoconferencing once face-to-face appointments were available. Design: An observational cross-sectional, mixed methods study design. Setting: Tertiary level persistent pain centre. Participants: Sixty-five patients aged 18-85 years with persistent pain lasting > 12 months. Interventions: NOT Applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Data was collected using a patient survey. Descriptive statistics were used to report findings from 5-point Likert scales. Qualitative analysis was guided by content analysis to organise and categorise the open-ended survey response text. Results: Videoconferencing platform features including audio-visual, usability, and privacy worked well for most patients (≥90%). Two-thirds of those surveyed reported the videoconferencing sessions as equal to face-to-face attendance (68%), and, in the context of the pandemic, almost as many preferred videoconferencing (65%), while 26% preferred face-to-face attendance and 9% were unsure. Preferences for videoconferencing over face-to-face in context to the pandemic varied depending on the health discipline involved: Pharmacy (83%), Occupational Therapy (78%), Psychology (61%), Pain Specialist Physician (59%), Physiotherapy (53%). Even outside of a pandemic situation, 80% would consider using videoconferencing in the future. Qualitative analysis on an open-ended question asking patients for any further comments regarding their experience with the videoconference consultation, found three main categories: 1) overall satisfaction with videoconferencing, 2) technology qualities and 3) clinical interaction. Conclusion: In the context of a pandemic, videoconferencing for interdisciplinary persistent pain management services was effective, preferred and most patients would continue its use into the future. Alternative or mixed modes of support may be needed for the 26% who currently prefer onsite attendance, when that mode of delivery is not available.
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Journal Title
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, providing that the work is properly cited.
Note
This publication has been entered in Griffith Research Online as an advanced online version.
Subject
Health informatics and information systems
COVID-19
Patient Satisfaction
Persistent Pain
Telehealth
Videoconference