Patient Satisfaction With Telehealth Visits in Rural Compared With Urban Communities: Single-Center Study.

Area of Science:

• Hepatology
• Telehealth
• Rural Health
• Urban Health
• Patient Satisfaction

Background:

• Telehealth adoption in urban settings with technological access shows high patient satisfaction.
• Virtual visits can extend clinical reach to rural areas, but technological barriers may impede patient satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patient satisfaction with telehealth visits between rural and urban populations.
• To identify factors influencing telehealth satisfaction in diverse geographic locations.

Main Methods:

• A telephone survey was administered to hepatology outpatients from March 2020 to March 2021.
• Patient characteristics and survey responses were compared between urban and rural groups using logistic regression.
• Urban and rural locations were defined by census tract based on zip code.

Main Results:

• Rural patients experienced longer transportation times and higher cancellation rates due to transport issues compared to urban patients.
• Rural patients reported lower technology proficiency, more technical difficulties (login, audio/video access), and less device comfort.
• Urban patients were significantly more likely to prefer telehealth and reported higher satisfaction with telehealth compared to in-person visits (aOR 5.20).

Conclusions:

• Rural patients face greater challenges with telehealth, including technical and transportation barriers, and prefer in-person hepatology visits.
• Urban patients demonstrate higher satisfaction with telehealth compared to in-person consultations.
• Further research is essential to enhance telehealth delivery and improve patient satisfaction for rural populations.