Telehealth-Enabled Social Services Helped Boost Patient Satisfaction

Using a tablet to connect patients virtually with social workers during primary care visits resulted in high satisfaction levels, a Mayo Clinic study revealed.

According to the researchers, 20 percent of US counties have a need for mental health professionals that are not met. Even though social worker interventions during primary care delivery have generally been proven successful, the idea of delivering virtual social work services from a specific location came about during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers tested the virtual intervention at two Mayo Clinic-affiliated primary care clinics in Rochester, Minnesota, which together included over 50 providers caring for more than 40,000 patients. Teams were formed, which consisted of telemedicine experts, social work and mental health providers, primary care and desk representatives, a qualitative researcher, and administrative staff. To avoid biased results, the social worker came from a different clinic.

The primary goals of this study were to measure the budget of the virtual service and the level of patient outreach and satisfaction.

“This led to review of various electronic hardware and an electronic tablet was chosen based on several advantages including ease of use, mobility, the capability to control access to the institutions' intranet, and good visibility to the patient of a virtual social worker," the study states. "A tablet was able to be available in any exam room that would be something easy for patients and providers to initiate.”

The study sample included 22 telehealth-enabled social worker visits for 18 patients over 37 days. About 68 percent of the participants were adults, and 55 percent were male. The average visit duration was 44 minutes.

Researchers asked three questions to gather a solid amount of patient feedback. The first question asked for a one to five rating of their general experience. The other questions focused on the patient's favorite and least favorite part of using the tablet.

Of the 18 patients, 10 were able to complete the survey. Seven participated in a brief phone interview as well.

The average experience rating provided by patients was 4.7 out of five, indicating a high level of satisfaction. The comments were generally positive, describing the ease and convenience associated with the tablet.

Providers and social workers who engaged in the service were also asked for feedback and provided similar responses, highlighting the accessibility and convenience of telehealth.

Although in-person social work has proven successful in the past, providing it through telehealth is an option worth considering, researchers concluded.

But, despite the study providing positive feedback, there are several limitations associated with the collection of data. These issues include the lack of randomization when assigning patients to their social worker, limited survey questions and responses, and participant data collection from only one location without a comparison group.