The Colorectal Telephone Clinic: a new normal post-COVID-19?

Area of Science:

• Colorectal Surgery
• Telemedicine
• Patient Satisfaction

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic necessitated adaptations in healthcare delivery, including colorectal surgery consultations.
• The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland provided recommendations for managing services during the pandemic.
• Telephone (TP) clinics were established as an alternative to traditional face-to-face (FTF) appointments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient and clinician satisfaction with a new telephone (TP) colorectal clinic service.
• To compare patient versus clinician satisfaction and desire to continue TP clinics post-pandemic.
• To assess the views of Specialty Trainee 3+ (ST3+)/Specialty Associate Specialist (SAS) doctors versus consultants on TP compared to FTF appointments.

Main Methods:

• Prospective service evaluation conducted between June 1, 2020, and June 30, 2020.
• Study focused on patient and clinician satisfaction within colorectal surgery TP clinics.
• Setting was a British District General Hospital.

Main Results:

• Patients reported significantly higher satisfaction with TP clinics (91.5%) compared to clinicians (66.6%).
• Patients showed a stronger desire to continue TP clinics post-COVID-19 (82.9%) than clinicians (60%).
• ST3+/SAS doctors were more likely than consultants to view TP clinics as inferior for patient assessment (48.3% vs. 23.7%).

Conclusions:

• High patient satisfaction with TP clinics contrasts with clinician concerns about assessment quality.
• Telephone clinics should be integrated into post-COVID-19 colorectal services.
• Robust patient selection and comprehensive clinician training are crucial for successful TP clinic implementation.