Perception of women about telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic (SARS-CoV-2)

Abstract

Introduction Since the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was declared a pandemic, health care was one of the fields that underwent significant changes. Telemedicine, that uses technological and communication resources to provide health care, was deemed a safe alternative to continue patient care while quarantine and social isolation measures were in place. Objective To analyze the perception of women treated at an outpatient clinic in relation to remote health care implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Descriptive research conducted at the Women’s Physiotherapy Outpatient Clinic of the Prof. Fernando Figueira Comprehensive Medicine Institute (IMIP) in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil. The study included women above the age of 18 years who were being remotely treated and excluded those who discontinued treatment. Data were collected from November 2020 to July 2021, using a questionnaire which was sent to the participants via WhatsApp. Results Twenty-six women with an average age of 52 ± 10.1 years were interviewed. Most (61.54%) were being treated for urinary incontinence at the outpatient clinic and 38.5% had been undergoing physiotherapy for at least six months. A total of 92.3% of the participants reported feeling safe with remote health care and 70.4% noticed an improvement in their symptoms. Conclusion Most patients noticed an improvement in their symptoms, felt comfortable and safe with teleservices and would agree to continue even after returning to in-person care. However, to ensure more effective results, patients need to be well informed and have some prior knowledge about the proposed treatment.