Patient Satisfaction with Telephone Follow-up after Lung Resection: Are we making the right ‘call’? Telephone Follow-up after Lung Resection

Main Article Content

Richard X. He Maxime Bédard Uzair Jogiat Eric L.R. Bédard Azim Valji Simon R. Turner

Abstract

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare institutions increased utilization of telemedicine. The impact of telemedicine on quality of care in a surgical setting is an under researched area of the literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient satisfaction with telephone follow-up after lung resection.


Methods: All lung cancer patients undergoing a post-operative telephone follow-up between April to November 2020 who had also previously completed at least one in-person pre-operative visit or follow-up were invited to participate. An anonymous online questionnaire adapted from the Telehealth Useability Questionnaire was circulated to participants. Our study’s primary outcome was patient satisfaction with telephone follow-up, compared with in-person visits before COVID-19. Secondary outcomes included surveying patients’ levels of concern about COVID-19, its perceived impact on their medical care, and their views on the utility of telemedicine post-pandemic.


Results: A total of 47 out of 54 patients completed the survey. Regarding COVID-19, 85% (39/46) of respondents were “somewhat” or “very” concerned about the pandemic in general and 76% (34/45) reported similar concerns about in-person healthcare appointments. There was no significant difference in participant comfort level and openness to telephone follow-ups before and after the actual encounter (p = 0.08). There was no significant difference reported between in-person and telephone appointments on all paired satisfaction questions directly comparing the two.


Conclusions: Patient satisfaction with telephone follow-up after lung resection appears non-inferior to in-person appointments. The convenience of telemedicine for both patients and physicians may warrant sustained utilization of this modality of care post-pandemic.

Keywords: Telehealth, Thoracic Surgery, Clinic, Lobectomy

Article Details

How to Cite
HE, Richard X. et al. Patient Satisfaction with Telephone Follow-up after Lung Resection: Are we making the right ‘call’?. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 12, n. 9, sep. 2024. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/5810>. Date accessed: 07 dec. 2024. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v12i9.5810.
Section
Research Articles

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