Clinician Telemedicine Perceptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Telemedicine utilization increased exponentially due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, most clinicians now have experience with telemedicine. Questions/Purposes: We studied factors independently associated with a clinician desiring to continue telemedicine services after the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondarily, we sought factors independently associated with clinician satisfaction with the quality of care provided through telemedicine and factors associated with telemedicine platform preference by clinicians. Methods: A large multispecialty medical group of physicians were invited to complete a survey, including demographics, telemedicine experience, satisfaction with various elements of telemedicine encounters, desired features in a telemedicine platform, personality traits, and preferences. A total of 220 complete responses were analyzed. Results: A desire to continue offering telemedicine visits after the COVID-19 pandemic was independently associated with a higher satisfaction with the quality of telemedicine care, endorsement of the ease of performing a physical examination with telemedicine, belief that adaptability is an important element of being a clinician, and less preference for in-person work meetings over virtual meetings. Higher satisfaction with the quality of telemedicine care was associated with belief that adaptability is an important element of being a clinician, clinicians who identify as being more perceiving (value flexibility) than judging (value organization), providers from relatively urban counties, and those with less preference for in-person work meetings over virtual meetings. Clinicians ranked ease of use for patients and physicians as the most important features of telemedicine platforms. Conclusions: The observed association of clinician personality and interpersonal preferences with the appeal, satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness of telemedicine merit additional study. Early implementation of telemedicine might be easiest with clinicians that take pride in their adaptability and value a technology-based workstyle.

Clinician Experience with Telemedicine at a Safety-net Hospital Network during COVID-19: A Cross-sectional Survey

“…36 A study of primarily medical specialties found high likelihood to continue telemedicine but lower satisfaction with telephone visits than video. 37 These prior surveys have not highlighted the safety net, nor safety net-specific patient barriers. The telemedicine explosion of rapid implementation, without dedicated resources or standard work, is common to many safety-net settings that disproportionately care for low-income populations.…”

Expectations and Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals for Robot Deployment in Hospital Environments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Despite the above, only a few studies have been focused on measuring the perception and acceptance of healthcare providers toward robotic tools in the COVID-19 pandemic (Betriana et al, 2020 ; Miner et al, 2020 ; Viswanathan et al, 2020 ). Several studies analyzing the acceptability and adherence of technology in healthcare, such as home healthcare robots and information systems, have shown that more than 40% of these technologies have failed or have been abandoned in the last two decades (Alaiad and Zhou, 2014 ; Greenhalgh et al, 2017 ).…”

Healthcare Professionals and Telehealth Usability During COVID-19

“…For example, many surveyed physicians have reported that the lifted telehealth restrictions have eased their workload more efficiently, leading to increased care quality and greater satisfaction with newly adopted technology. 24 Ultimately, these policies support the promise of telehealth with its proven effectiveness to connect more patients with the quality care they deserve and open the door to have telehealth and make its place in the future of healthcare.…”