Telehealth Patient Satisfaction On Par with In-Person Care During Pandemic

Based on an analysis of patient experience surveys, a recent study published in the Patient Experience Journal found that patient satisfaction with telehealth visits during the COVID-19 pandemic did not fall short of the satisfaction patients felt with in-person care.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers gained insight into how telehealth can benefit those seeking primary and specialty care. But patient satisfaction is key to the continued use of the care modality. Thus, researchers conducted the study to assess patient satisfaction with video-based telehealth.

Researchers used data from standardized patient experience surveys that compared satisfaction with telehealth and in-person clinic visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, defined as the period between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

During the study timeframe, 1.5 million patients received surveys, but only 307,185 responded. Of these, 44,888 participated in a telehealth visit (14.6 percent), while the remaining 262,297 patients received in-person care (85.4 percent).

Of the overall population, responses from patients receiving adult medical specialty care (46.9 percent) outstripped those from patients receiving primary care (23.8 percent). Within the medical specialty care population, the largest proportion of responses came from patients receiving hematology and oncology services (8.4 percent).

Among those who used telehealth, most were in the 65-to-79 age group, accounting for 41.6 percent of the population. The telehealth population was also predominantly female (55.8 percent), White (92.3), and English-speaking (99 percent).

Among those who received care in person, the population was, similarly, predominantly 65 to 79 years old (46.3 percent), female (55.5 percent), White (94.5 percent), and English-speaking (99.3 percent). 

As researchers reviewed patient ratings, they did not discover high variability in satisfaction levels between in-person and telehealth visits within the study timeframe. The lack of difference in satisfaction levels was observed across patient age groups, sex, race, ethnicity, and language.

However, researchers did find slight differences in feedback between men and women, with men indicating slightly higher levels of satisfaction with in-person visits. Researchers also found that patients under the age of 17 experienced higher satisfaction with in-person visits, and patients above the age of 80 indicated higher satisfaction with telehealth than their peers.

The data led researchers to conclude that telehealth satisfaction was non-inferior to in-person care.

"As telemedicine visits become more common it will be imperative that healthcare organizations create successful telemedicine processes for patients and staff with an aim of high satisfaction," they stated.

The research adds to growing evidence of patient satisfaction with telehealth.

For example, a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society in October found that patients above the age of 65 expressed high satisfaction with telehealth, despite a general preference for in-person care.

More research published in September found that telehealth was linked with high satisfaction levels among those who received mental health treatment. Researchers made this conclusion following a survey, which found that patients who needed prescription refills, reviews for medication options, and test result discussions often preferred to access those services through telehealth.

When asked why they prefer telehealth, the most common responses were convenience, speed of care, and ease experienced when accessing health information.