Telemedicine for ENT: Effect on quality of care during Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Aims: To assess the benefit of telemedicine consultation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Material and methods: A prospective study of patient satisfaction with telemedicine consultation was carried out in the ENT department of a university hospital center where telemedicine consultations were set up to replace scheduled out-patient consultations. Patients were divided into two groups according to overall satisfaction, in order to identify predictive factors. The significance threshold was set at P<0.005. The main endpoint was patient satisfaction after an ENT telemedicine consultation during global lockdown. The secondary endpoint comprised predictive factors for overall satisfaction.

Results: One hundred of the 125 patients with telemedicine consultation over a 7-day inclusion period completed the questionnaire. Overall satisfaction was 87%. There were no clinically relevant predictive factors significantly associated with satisfaction. Sound and video quality was satisfactory for 76% and 61% of patients respectively, without significant impact on overall satisfaction (respectively: OR=3.40, P-value=0.049; and OR=3.79, P-value=0.049). Lack of physical examination did not significantly correlate with reduced overall satisfaction (OR=0.30, P-value=0.027).

Conclusion: Telemedicine consultation did not allow complete medical care but, in a difficult time like the global pandemic, was well accepted by patients. It is a simple way to maintain continuity of care while reducing contamination risk by avoiding direct contact between patients and healthcare professionals.

Keywords: Covid-19; Otolaryngology; Satisfaction; Telehealth; Telemedicine.