Video consultations during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic are associated with high satisfaction for both doctors and patients

Abstract

conceptualized and designed the study. Sujievvan Chandran was responsible for the study supervision. All authors were involved in data extraction. Leonardo Zorron Cheng Tao Pu and Ryma Terbah were involved in the statistical analyses. All authors helped with interpretation of the results and drafting the manuscript. Rhys Vaughan, Marios Efthymiou, and Sujievvan Chandran carried the critical revision of the article for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Environmental impact of digital health

“…Digital consultations have risen exponentially in 2020, to enable continuity of care during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this test period it proved to be a safe and effective alternative to classical care (8).…”

“…In 2020, users highlighted its ease of use, exibility, comfort and savings in time and money by reducing travel, with the consequent environmental impact achieved by avoiding CO 2 emissions, in addition to greater security by reducing the risk of contagion throughout the different COVID-19 waves. These advantages were also experienced by healthcare personnel, who reported greater work-life balance thanks to remote working, as well as considering digital tools a well accepted healthcare alternative (8). Most of those users who made virtual appointments consider that they offer quality of medical care (5) and a rmed that they intended to continue with this type of care once the pandemic is over (16) and believe that its implementation will be permanent (17).…”

“…It increases the e ciency of the consultations because they are shorter, once the rapid learning process to use the new software has been overcome. It improves accessibility to services by ensuring continuity of care, reducing waiting lists and prioritizing the patients who need it most, directing them towards adequate healthcare circuits and providing the right attention to the right patient (8). At the same time, it allows agile communication between healthcare levels avoiding unnecessary referrals (18).…”

“…Digital consultation improves patient experience and promotes patient's empowerment with regards to his/her own care (7). Satisfaction levels are very high (8). What users underline the most are safety, smoothness, exibility, comfort and time and economic savings.…”

Teleconsultation and videoconsultation forever?

“…These advantages benefit the patient, the practitioner and the health system alike; it certainly improves the patient’s experience of self-care, which is demonstrated by the high satisfaction rates. 10 Users highlight its ease of use, flexibility, comfort and savings in time and money by reducing travel, with the consequent ecological impact by reducing CO 2 emissions, as well as greater safety by minimising the risk of infection, as we have experienced with the COVID-19. These advantages are also experienced by healthcare workers, as they facilitate work-life balance and remote work and are a well-accepted alternative for healthcare professionals.…”