RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Teleophthalmology and COVID-19: the patient perspective
JF Future Healthcare Journal
JO Future Healthc J
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP e54
OP e59
DO 10.7861/fhj.2020-0139
VO 8
IS 1
A1 Vidushi Golash
A1 Sarju Athwal
A1 Mona Khandwala
YR 2021
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/8/1/e54.abstract
AB Oculoplastic services at a UK district general hospital underwent reconfiguration to incorporate teleconsultations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and patient satisfaction was assessed.Methods All oculoplastic patients at Maidstone Hospital underwent telephone or video consultations in place of face-to-face reviews. Patient feedback surveys were conducted.Results 80 telephone and 40 video consultation responses were analysed. The majority of teleconsultations lasted 6–10 minutes. 55% of telephone and 82.5% of video consultation patients felt face-to-face reviews would not have changed the appointment outcome. Satisfaction scores of 10/10 were given by 71.3% of telephone and 72.5% of video consultation patients. Correlation between age and preference of consultation type was observed, with 62.5% of patients aged >65 years requesting regular face-to-face reviews compared to only 18.8% of 25–64-year-olds.Conclusion Patients highly support teleconsultation adaptations. This is an opportunity to incorporate and enhance teleconsultation facilities to meet current and future demand, especially with ongoing social distancing guidelines.