Patient and on-site physician satisfaction with a comprehensive specialist teleconsultation program

Area of Science:

• Healthcare access
• Telemedicine
• Health disparities

Background:

• Telemedicine enhances access to specialized care but satisfaction levels are unclear.
• The Comprehensive Specialist Teleconsultation Program aimed to reduce healthcare disparities in Brazil.
• Assessing patient and provider satisfaction is crucial for telemedicine program effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate patient and on-site physician satisfaction with a telemedicine program.
• To determine the effectiveness of the Telemedicine Expert Consultation program in meeting patient needs.
• To analyze satisfaction metrics using the Net Promoter Score (NPS).

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, single-center analysis over three years.
• Utilized Net Promoter Score (NPS) as the primary satisfaction metric.
• Collected data via voluntary surveys assessing telemedicine effectiveness, patient needs fulfillment, and project support.

Main Results:

• Physician respondents (469/1144) reported 97.8% needs met and 98.6% satisfaction (NPS 91).
• Patient respondents (35,743/111,730) reported 99.3% needs met, with 73.3% rating "excellent" (NPS 85).
• Both patient and physician satisfaction scores fell within the NPS "zone of excellence."

Conclusions:

• The Telemedicine Expert Consultation program demonstrated high satisfaction among both patients and on-site physicians.
• The program successfully met patient needs and improved access to specialized care.
• High NPS scores indicate program effectiveness and successful reduction of healthcare disparities.