Satisfaction of primary care physicians towards initiation of phone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic management in Qatar: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objectives To assess primary care physicians’ satisfaction towards initiation of phone consultation during COVID-19 pandemic management in Qatar and to identify the factors associated with dis/satisfaction. Design A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted from 1 June to 30 July 2020. Setting All the available 27 public primary healthcare centers in Qatar at the time of the study. Participants Two hundred ninety-four primary care physicians working in the publicly run primary healthcare corporation in Qatar. Primary outcome measures Overall satisfaction of primary care physicians with the initiation of phone consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Qatar and their satisfaction towards each aspect of this management. Results Two hundred thirty-nine primary care physicians participated in the survey with a response rate of 53.1%. Overall, about 45% and 21% of respondents agreed that COVID-19 disease management has highly impacted and very highly impacted their daily practice, respectively. More than half of the physicians (59.9%) indicated being satisfied/highly satisfied with the initiation of telephone consultation service. On the other hand, few physicians were satisfied (14.3%) or highly satisfied (3.4%) with conducting telephone consultations with patients who lack previous electronic medical records. Also, only 20.3% and 3.8% of physicians were satisfied and highly satisfied with the lack of physical examination in telephone consultations, respectively. On bivariate analysis, primary care physicians’ age was significantly associated with the perceived level of impact of COVID-19 management on daily practice (P = 0.03). There was no significant association between participants’ characteristics and the level of satisfaction toward telephone consultations. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant association between physicians’ age (p = 0.048) and gender (p = 0.014) and their level of satisfaction toward communication and support.

Covid-19 hotlines, helplines and call centers: a systematic review of characteristics, challenges and lessons learned

“…During the first wave of the pandemic, most countries experienced a rapid decrease in in-person medical consultations and an increase in remote consultations for primary and secondary care, with the majority of counseling sessions being conducted over the phone [ 13 ]. Neshnash et al found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of telephone counseling in primary healthcare has been timely and effective, with more than half of primary care physicians being satisfied or very satisfied with the telephone consultations [ 86 ]. In fact, remote counseling improves access to primary care and enables general practitioners to see patients who require an in-person appointment more quickly [ 86 ].…”

“…Neshnash et al found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of telephone counseling in primary healthcare has been timely and effective, with more than half of primary care physicians being satisfied or very satisfied with the telephone consultations [ 86 ]. In fact, remote counseling improves access to primary care and enables general practitioners to see patients who require an in-person appointment more quickly [ 86 ]. Similarly, Green et al‘s study revealed that telephone counseling in the UK has nearly tripled from February 2020 to August 2021 [ 87 ].…”

“…Additionally, availability of translators for some patients is necessary [ 92 ]. Similarly, the lessons learned in Neshnash’s study showed that in order to achieve safe and effective remote consultation, healthcare systems must provide primary healthcare providers with adequate training and implement a national digital health framework for ensuring continuity of care [ 86 ]. Other researchers showed that a lack of sufficient training or a lack qualification for helpline operators may adversely impact the mental health of callers.…”

Home health care professionals’ experiences of working in integrated teams during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative thematic study

“…Increased use of digital tools for communication has been seen during the pandemic, when digital inequalities may have been further reinforced by the lack of access to digital support [ 37 ], which is often limited in the home health care setting. Communication with patients digitally or by telephone was also described by the participants as a challenge, in contrast to a study of general physicians, who were satisfied with telephone consultations [ 38 ]. Digital tools can, however, be a challenge for older persons to use, even when they are the sole tool for social interaction, as during the pandemic [ 6 ].…”

Public Usage, Perceived Usefulness, and Satisfaction with E-health Services in COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Among the factors that need to be examined is the extent to which people in society use and benefit from the services, find them useful, and feel satisfied. A body of research examined the usage, usefulness, and satisfaction variables as perceived by people using technologies in the COVID-19 pandemic (29)(30)(31)(32)(33). However, few studies have examined the usefulness, satisfaction, and effectiveness of ehealth services provided by healthcare providers.…”