Patient Perspectives on Audio-Only Virtual Prenatal Visits Amidst the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Pandemic

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate patient satisfaction after integration of audio-only virtual visits into a pre-existing prenatal care schedule within a large, county-based system during the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. METHODS: We implemented audio-only prenatal virtual visits in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic within a large, county-based prenatal care system serving predominantly women with low socioeconomic status and limited resources. Using a four-question telephone survey, we surveyed a cross-section of patients who had opted to participate in virtual visits to assess their level of satisfaction surrounding audio-only visits. In addition, average clinic wait times and attendance rates by visit type were examined. RESULTS: From March 17 to May 31, 2020, more than 4,000 audio-only virtual prenatal visits were completed in our system. After implementation, the percentage of visits conducted through the virtual platform gradually rose, with nearly 25% of weekly prenatal visits being performed through the virtual platform by the month of May. Clinic wait times trended downward after implementation of virtual visits (P<.001). On average, 88% of virtual prenatal visits were completed as scheduled, whereas only 82% of in-person visits were attended (P<.001). Hospital administration attempted to contact 431 patients who had participated in at least one virtual visit to assess patient satisfaction; 283 patients were reached and agreed to participate (65%). Ninety-nine percent of respondents reported that their needs were met during their audio-only virtual visits. The majority of patients preferred a combination of in-person and virtual visits for prenatal care, and patients reported many benefits with virtual visits. CONCLUSION: Audio-only virtual prenatal visits—as a complement to in-person prenatal visits—have specific and distinct advantages compared with video-enabled telehealth in a vulnerable population of women and offer a viable option to increase access to care.

Satisfaction with the use of telehealth during COVID-19: An integrative review

“… Gilbert et al. (2020) Satisfaction scores were high for phone and virtual consultations (90 and 85%, respectively) Clinicians rated virtual consultation as 78/100 for clinicians Holcomb et al. (2020) 99% participants rated their visit “good” or “very good Holtz et al.…”

“…(2020) France Quantitative, Prospective Survey ENT April 6–10, 2020 100 of the 125 patients in the ENT tele-consultation over the 7-day inclusion period completed the survey Mean age= 51; 2:3 M/F ratio Lyon, France Questionnaire LOE VI Gilbert et al. (2020) UK qi orthopedic march 16-april 20, 2020 215 patients; 103 clinicians RNOC Survey LOE VI Holcomb et al. (2020) USA Descriptive cross-sectional Prenatal visit March 17-May 31, 2020 283 out of 421 pregnant women who participated in at least one visit agreed to participate (65% response rate); 89% females; 84% Whites; 66.8% with college degrees Texas Telephone survey LOE VI Holtz (2020) USA Descriptive cross-sectional Not identified March 31-April 20, 2020 1011 participated the survey but data from 434 participants who had used telemedicine were included in their analysis; 89% females Survey LOE VI Itamura et al.…”

“… GILBERT ET AL. (2020) Virtual Consultation platform Attend Anywhere HOLCOMB ET AL. (2020) Audio-only virtual visit HOLTZ ET AL (2020) Various devices such as laptop, smart watch, smart phones, tablets, etc.…”

Self-care and remote care during pregnancy: a new paradigm?

“…Some health facilities in the United States have successfully implemented antenatal remote care during COVID-19 to ensure safe and effective obstetric care. For example, obstetric facilities in Florida, Texas and New York reduced their in-person visits from 11 to 6, 13 to 9, and 11 to 6 respectively [9][10][11]. They developed their ANC schedules based on expert recommendations, established WHO and national guidelines, and the OB Nest model developed at Mayo Clinic for women experiencing low-risk pregnancies [12].…”

A Review of Patient Satisfaction and Experience with Telemedicine: A Virtual Solution During and Beyond COVID-19 Pandemic

“…High satisfaction levels were observed across all telemedicine encounters irrespective of mode (synchronous or asynchronous) and disease type; for instance, all participants (114) were satisfied in vascular consultations, 20 median satisfaction 9 (IQR 8-10) was reported in rheumatology, 21 and 99% of respondents reported that their needs were met for prenatal consultations through audio virtual visit only. 22 In case of teledentistry, provided through virtual clinic and telephonic consultations, 97% of patients were satisfied with the virtual clinic and 94% were satisfied with telephonic consultations. 23 A cross-sectional observational study reported high patient satisfaction in case of skin disorders through synchronous model (live interaction between a patient and a dermatologist) and the store forward model (through e-mails).…”