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

Telemedicine via teleconsultations enhances access to specialized care. However, the degree of satisfaction among patients and providers with this method remains unclear. This study assessed patient and on-site physician satisfaction with the Comprehensive Specialist Teleconsultation Program (Telemedicine Expert Consultation) developed by Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein to reduce healthcare disparities in Brazil's Northern and Central-Western regions.

A retrospective, single-center analysis employed the Net Promoter Score as the primary metric for evaluating satisfaction. Data were collected from patients and on-site physicians over three years through voluntary surveys with three focused questions. These assessed telemedicine effectiveness, fulfillment of patient needs, and satisfaction with project support. Additional analyses included response rates, demographics, and Net Promoter Score distribution across predefined performance zones.

Of the 1,144 surveys distributed to physicians, 469 (41%) were received. Among the respondents, 459 (97.8%) either agreed or strongly agreed that patient needs were adequately met, and 462 (98.6%) expressed overall satisfaction, resulting in a three-year average Net Promoter Score of 91. For patients, 35,743 (32%) responses were obtained from 111,730 distributed surveys. Among patient respondents, 35,493 (99.3%) indicated that their needs were met, with 26,200 (73.3%) rating the service as "excellent," with an average Net Promoter Score of 85 over the three years. Satisfaction scores from both groups fell within the Net Promoter Score "zone of excellence," underscoring the program's high performance in meeting expectations.

The Telemedicine Expert Consultation program successfully achieved high satisfaction rates among patients and on-site physicians.