Patient Satisfaction With Remote Consultations in a Primary Care Setting

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• Remote consultations have significantly increased in general practice.
• Patient encounters are increasingly shifting from face-to-face to virtual appointments via phone or computer.
• Assessing patient satisfaction is crucial for optimizing telehealth services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To measure patient satisfaction with remote consultations in a primary care setting.
• To explore patient experiences and attitudes towards remote consultations.
• To provide recommendations for improving telehealth services.

Main Methods:

• A questionnaire was administered to 407 patients who recently had primary care telephone consultations.
• Patient satisfaction was measured using a Likert scale, with an open-ended comment section for qualitative feedback.
• Responses from 104 patients were analyzed, including thematic analysis of comments.

Main Results:

• High overall patient satisfaction with remote consultations was reported.
• Low rates of technical failure (92% reported no issues) and need for in-person follow-up (35%) were observed.
• While 58% found remote consultations convenient, 40% preferred face-to-face appointments for future care, citing concerns about anxiety and missed symptoms.

Conclusions:

• Remote consultations are an effective complement to traditional face-to-face appointments in primary care.
• Telehealth services demonstrate high satisfaction and efficiency, with minimal technical barriers.
• Addressing patient concerns regarding anxiety and effective symptom communication is essential for enhancing telehealth adoption and effectiveness.