Achieving Patient Satisfaction: Utilizing Telehealth Via an Academic-Practice Partnership

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Psychiatry
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Academic-practice partnerships are crucial for innovative, patient-centered healthcare.
• Increasing patient choice emphasizes the importance of patient satisfaction.
• Patient satisfaction is influenced by their perception of healthcare service utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient satisfaction with telehealth for psychiatric-mental health services.
• To assess the effectiveness of telehealth in rural mental healthcare delivery.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative survey research design.
• A sample of patients with psychiatric-mental health disorders participated.
• Trained nursing students provided telehealth follow-up care in rural areas.
• The Telehealth Satisfaction Scale (10 items) was administered post-appointment.

Main Results:

• Responses were on a 4-point Likert-type scale (higher scores = greater satisfaction).
• Mean scores for questionnaire items ranged from 3.4 to 3.82.
• A positive association was observed between patient satisfaction and telehealth utilization.

Conclusions:

• Telehealth, within academic-clinical partnerships, is a successful and innovative approach.
• Telehealth serves as a viable alternative to in-person follow-up for psychiatric-mental health care.
• The project demonstrated the value of telehealth in improving patient satisfaction and access to care.