Oral and maxillofacial surgery patient satisfaction with telephone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction Due to the COVID-19 pandemic most Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) units have moved to conducting patient consultations over the telephone. The aim of this study was to assess patient satisfaction with telephone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A retrospective survey was conducted of OMFS patients at our hospital who had telephone consultations between 1 st April-8 th June 2020. The survey was conducted by independent interviewers and used the Generic Medical Interview Satisfaction Scale (G-MISS) along with a previously published additional questionnaire. Variables recorded included age, gender, theme of consultation, grade of clinician and type of consultation. Statistical analysis was performed to assess for any difference between patient groups. Results The records of 150 consecutive patients were reviewed and 135 met inclusion criteria. A total of 109 patients completed the survey giving a response rate of 80.74%. The total G-MISS score for satisfaction was high indicating a high level of satisfaction among all patients. We found no statistical difference in satisfaction when comparing patients in terms of gender, age, theme of consultation or level of clinician. A significant difference was found in compliance levels between review and new patients with review patients demonstrating higher compliance levels (p = 0.004). Overall, 83.48% of patients said they would be willing to have a telephone consultation in future. Conclusion The majority of patients in this study reported high levels of satisfaction with telephone consultations. New patients reported lower levels of compliance which may suggest these consultations are less amenable to telephone consultation.

Patients’ Satisfaction With Telepsychiatry Services at a University Hospital in Riyadh During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Among the patients who participated in the telepsychiatry service, the majority (94.3%) were satisfied with the quality of the healthcare they received. The patients' satisfaction was in line with the existing literature that found patients' satisfaction with the care quality and clinical outcomes following telehealth visits superior to those of traditional medical setting visits [18][19][20]. Our study did not find any differences in satisfaction levels with respect to patients' demographic characteristics.…”

Patient Satisfaction With the Head and Neck Cancer Telephone Triage Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 30% of all GP consultations are via telephone, video or online [ 22 ]. Since the pandemic, this has shifted to about 70%, and other surgical specialties, including orthopaedics [ 23 ] and maxillofacial surgery [ 24 ], have also begun utilising remote consultations. This study adds to the increasing evidence base that patients are satisfied with such a modality of clinical consult.…”

“…Other surgical specialties have reported much higher rates of patient satisfaction with the implementation of remote consultations during a similar time period, to the extent that 83% of patients attending a British general maxillofacial clinic [ 24 ] and 93% from a larger group of American orthopaedics clinic patients [ 27 ] would be willing to attend a similar remote consultation again. Our modest number of 55% may in part reflect the unique challenges of delivering a 2WW cancer triage service over the phone.…”

“…Next, our patient group comprised suspected cancer patients, who are less likely to be present in either of the other two clinics. Interestingly, oral oncology patients made up a significant proportion of those who were unwilling to engage in a future phone consultation in the maxillofacial clinic study [ 24 ]. Yet, this may indicate that there are still ways we can continue to improve this service and learn from other specialties.…”

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on severe asthma care in Europe: will care change for good?

“…Several other studies investigated patient satisfaction with video/phone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic, both in allergy/immunology and other services (e.g. rheumatology, inflammatory bowel disease, oral/maxillofacial surgery, urology), and all confirmed high satisfaction levels in the majority of patients [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. In addition, some other studies, mainly involving allergy/immunology clinics, reported increased prescriptions of home-administered biologics [21][22][23].…”