Telemedicine in pediatric and family care: physicians’ perceptions toward the quality of care, safety, and satisfaction with telephone visits in Israel

Abstract

Background Technological development of remote healthcare has accelerated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. While telemedicine offers an efficient way to deliver care, it also presents considerable new challenges. In this study, we examined family physicians’ and pediatricians’ perceptions regarding three aspects of the use of telephone visits: quality of care, safety of care, and physicians’ satisfaction.Methods This mixed-methods study surveyed 342 family physicians and pediatricians in Clalit Health Services (Clalit) regarding their perceptions toward using telephone visits. Participants responded to an online survey that included demographic questions and eighteen 5-point Likert scale statements describing quality, safety, and physicians’ satisfaction with telephone visits. This was followed by in-depth interviews with 26 physicians between January to April 2023.Results Participants expressed high satisfaction (3.66 ± 0.80) with the use of telephone visits and lower assessments of safety (3.03 ± 0.76) and quality (2.27 ± 0.76) of care using the telephone modality. Eighty percent of the respondents think combining a face-to-face visit with a telephone visit is recommended and 51% noted that the inability to examine the patient closely affects and impedes the physician’s decision-making. Most interviewees indicated that telephone visits are safe only with former patients they had already seen in the clinic. Interviewees suggested improvements, such as patient education, a decision support system, and technological upgrades to the modality.Conclusions The findings shed light on the perceptions of family physicians and pediatricians regarding telephone visits. Although satisfaction with telemedicine is generally high, the differing opinions regarding the quality and safety of the telephone meeting underscores the need for careful use of telephone visits in healthcare. The findings uncover the barriers for the acceptance of this modality and our recommendations may help healthcare organizations to improve the use and increase the acceptability of this service, including proper and balanced selection of patients, implementing technological upgrades to the modality and performing patient education practices.