Preference for Future Telehealth Use Does Not Exceed That of In-Person Care

New research published in the Practice of Medicine described that although telehealth gained a high level of approval and application throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, most users prefer to return to in-person care in the future, largely due to a lack of physical exams and perceived lower quality.

In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, abrupt legislation led to restrictions on in-person care, mainly due to safety regulations regarding exposure to the disease. As the severity of the public health emergency diminishes, there is common wonder regarding the future of telehealth and whether it holds a permanent place in healthcare.

Researchers conducted two nationally representative surveys to gather information surrounding physician and patient perceptions of video-based telehealth. According to researchers, video-based telehealth was defined as “a visit that you had using a computer, tablet or other device where you could see and talk to the patient/doctor live, and they could see and talk to you.”

Using a random sample of physicians from the American Medical Association (AMA), researchers conducted a survey from February 12 to May 24, 2021. All physicians included had an office-based practice and a primary care specialty such as family medicine, internal medicine, and general practice.

Researchers gathered a sample of patients from the SSRS Opinion Panel and conducted a survey from April 30 to May 11, 2021, to gather information on their experience with video visits.

Both surveys contained questions that addressed four pillars: overall satisfaction and perception of value, perceptions of quality, technical experiences and issues, and future modality preferences.

With a 52 percent response rate and engagement from 337 participants, the physician survey population was 55 percent male and 40 percent were below age fifty. Overall, 90 percent of physicians indicated that video visits went well during the pandemic, and 86 percent felt that this modality was critical in the process of connecting with patients.

Despite these indications of positivity, 60 percent of respondents shared that video visit quality did not match the capabilities of in-person care.

Care type also contained variations in terms of perceived video visit quality among physicians. For routine or preventative care, urgent health needs, and chronic conditions, 66 percent, 63 percent, and 46 percent, respectively, indicated that this modality was worse than in-person care.

Regarding technical experiences, 52 percent of physicians indicated issues with audio or video, and 39 percent noted frequent internet issues.

Furthermore, 80 percent of physicians noted their preference to provide most care in person.

The patient survey had a 46 percent response rate, containing a total of 6,645 participants, 1,417 of whom took part in a video visit. Among this population, 50 percent noted that a lack of access to video visits would have led to delays in care, and 56 percent felt as though video visits went very well. Regarding perceived quality, however, 51 percent felt video-based telehealth matched in-person care, and 26 percent felt it was slightly worse.

Regarding reasoning for these opinions, 90 percent felt it was due to challenges around the execution of physical exams, and 32 percent felt concerned about taking their own blood pressure or temperature.

Regarding technical experiences, 23 percent of patients indicated having experienced issues with audio or video, 17 percent indicated other connectivity issues, and 18 percent indicated that the video platform did not operate well.

Furthermore, 36 percent of patients preferred video or audio visits post-pandemic, and 64 percent preferred to return to in-person care.

Based on these survey findings, researchers concluded that despite the sufficiency and relatively high level of acceptance of telehealth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, most patients and physicians are partial to in-person care.  

Similarly, previous research has indicated that despite a level of resourcefulness associated with telehealth, certain instances require in-person care.

A survey conducted by West Health and members of the Collaborative for Telehealth and Aging in December 2022 found that telehealth may not have been the best option in the process of treating older patients.

When asked about the use of telehealth to treat older patients, more than half of clinicians in various specialties indicated that it was not an effective tool among those exceeding a certain age. Additionally, over half of clinicians noted how the common physical and cognitive challenges among older adults make telehealth an unrealistic care modality.