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.