This paper is in the following e-collection/theme issue:

UConn CHASM 6th Annual Conference 2022: "Telehealth and Remote Care in a Post-Pandemic World" (54)

Published on in Vol 9 (2023)

Preprints (earlier versions) of this paper are available at https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/39433, first published .
Experiences of Connecticut Community Health Center Patients With Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Experiences of Connecticut Community Health Center Patients With Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Experiences of Connecticut Community Health Center Patients With Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Authors of this article:

Roberta Delvy1 ;   Emil Coman2 ;   Kelly Sanchez3 ;   Wizdom Powell2 ;   Thomas Agresta3, 4
Article Authors Cited by Tweetations Metrics

    Abstract

    1School of Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, United States

    2Health Disparities Institute, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, United States

    3Center for Quantitative Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, United States

    4Department of Family Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, United States

    Corresponding Author:

    Roberta Delvy, BA, BS

    School of Medicine

    University of Connecticut

    263 Farmington Avenue

    Farmington, CT, 06030

    United States

    Phone: 1 203 954 9286

    Email: delvy@uchc.edu


    Background: Since COVID-19 rapidly made telemedicine a necessity, it is clear that virtual patient visits are going to be part of the new norm in continued outpatient care as we move into a postpandemic reality. However, we are still learning about patients’ experiences and preferences amid the rapid and widespread deployment of telemedicine.

    Objective: The aim of this paper is to determine patients’ satisfaction with and experiences of telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic among those seeking care at Community Health Center Association of Connecticut member clinics.

    Methods: Data were collected using a 24-question phone survey, which asked about telehealth use, frequency of telehealth visits, and barriers experienced. Participants were eligible if they aged 18 years or older, were English speaking, and were receiving care at 1 of 3 participating Community Health Center Association of Connecticut clinics.

    Results: A total of 383 participants completed the phone survey throughout July 2021. The median age grouping was between 55 and 59 years, and the majority (63%) were female. Since COVID-19, in total, 78% reported having one or more audio-only telehealth visits (from 31% before), and 53% had one or more video telehealth visit (from 13% before). Most reported being very satisfied with their visits (86%) and that they felt confident in their provider’s ability to address their needs (74%). Most did not experience technical problems or have difficulty understanding how to connect to their provider. Even among older participants (60 years and older), only 28% reported having difficulty understanding how to connect to their provider, compared with 23% of 40- to 59-year-old patients and 18% of 18- to 39-year-old patients. Moreover, 45% reported being very likely to continue using telehealth even after the pandemic. However, 52% would have liked the option of in-person visits if they had been available in the past year.

    Conclusions: These results suggest that most patients find telehealth visits an appropriate and accessible means of accessing health care, though some still like the option of seeing their provider in person. Future work should compare provider and patient experiences and identify optimal means of making the encounters mutually satisfying and beneficial.

    Conflicts of Interest: None declared.

    iproc 2023;9:e39433

    doi:10.2196/39433

    Keywords

    telemedicine; patient-physician relationship 

    Edited by S Pagoto; This is a non–peer-reviewed article. submitted 09.05.22; accepted 21.12.22; published 23.01.23

    Copyright

    ©Roberta Delvy, Emil Coman, Kelly Sanchez, Wizdom Powell, Thomas Agresta. Originally published in Iproceedings (https://www.iproc.org), 23.01.2023.

    This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in Iproceedings, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on https://www.iproc.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.