BACKGROUND
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many healthcare providers to make changes in the treatments they offer. We evaluated acceptance of telemedicine and preferences.
OBJECTIVE
The primary aim was to evaluate the acceptance of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Further, to assess patients’ preferences and correlation between acceptance and satisfaction, pain, general condition, perception of telemedicine, and catastrophizing.
METHODS
Anonymous cross-sectional survey between 27/01/2021 and 04/02/2022, enrolling outpatients. Descriptive analysis of acceptance of telemedicine and investigation of patients’ preferences. Further, Spearman correlation and a chi-squared test for categorical data, with Cramer’s V statistic to assess effect sizes.
RESULTS
Our survey was completed by 60 patients. Telemedicine acceptance was high, with an average of 7.6±3.3 (on an 11-point numeric rating scale from 0 = not at all to 10 = completely), and respondents generally preferred on-site consultations over telemedicine (58.3% vs. 40.0%). A subgroup analysis revealed that respondents who already had received a phone consultation, showed higher preference for telemedicine (50.0% vs. 16.7%; X2 (2, n=60) = 7.5, P=.024, Cramer's V=.354), as well as those who had been treated for more than 3 months (54.8% vs. 24.1%; X2 (2, n=60) = 6.5, P=.039, Cramer's V=.329).
CONCLUSIONS
Acceptance of telemedicine was high, but patients preferred on-site consultations. Preference for telemedicine was markedly higher in patients who had already received phone consultations or who had been treated for longer than 3 months. In times of COVID-19, the modality of patient care should be discussed on an individual basis.
CLINICALTRIAL
No registration.