Both Sides of the Screen: Provider and Patient Perspective on Telemedicine in Pediatric Surgery
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Read the article on jpedsurg.org ↗Article · Mar 2022 · 1 min read
In brief
In brief
Cross-sectional study evaluating telemedicine adoption in pediatric colorectal surgery during COVID-19, finding high patient/parent satisfaction (71% rated visits as effective or better than in-person) and strong provider confidence with video platforms. Results support telemedicine as a viable care model for complex pediatric surgical patients requiring multidisciplinary management.
Written by the GCMD Library team from the article.
Background
There has been increased telemedicine use secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to assess patient/parent satisfaction with their telemedicine experience, gauge provider perspective on telemedicine for the management of pediatric colorectal disease and evaluate the quality of telemedicine care being provided.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was performed at a single institution from March 2020-February 2021. Patients who completed a patient/parent telemedicine survey after a telemedicine appointment and nurse practitioners/surgeons who completed a provider telemedicine survey were included. Patient and provider characteristics and responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Differences between the levels of provider confidence to provide telemedicine care were analyzed using Pearson's chi-square test.
Results
118 patients/parents completed the survey. The median age of patients was 7 years. Most patients were male (59%) and White (73%). The most common diagnosis was anorectal malformation (49%). 71% of parents felt the telemedicine visit was as effective or better than an in-person visit and over 70% said they prefer a telemedicine visit to an in-person visit. Ten surgeons and 8 nurse practitioners completed the provider survey. 28% had previous telemedicine experience and 94% planned to continue offering telemedicine appointments. Providers felt significantly more confident performing clinical duties via video telemedicine compared to telephone telemedicine.
Conclusions
Telemedicine is a useful adjunct or alternative in pediatric surgery for complex patients who require multidisciplinary care. Providers show confidence with the use of video telemedicine and parents show high satisfaction, with the majority preferring telemedicine visits over in-person visits.