Acceptance, Satisfaction, and Preference With Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021-2022: Survey Among Patients With Chronic Pain

Michael Alexander Harnik; Alina Scheidegger; Larissa Blättler; Zdenek Nemecek; Thomas C Sauter; Andreas Limacher; Florian Reisig; Martin Grosse Holtforth; Konrad Streitberger

doi:10.2196/53154

Acceptance, Satisfaction, and Preference With Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2021-2022: Survey Among Patients With Chronic Pain

JMIR Form Res. 2024 Apr 29:8:e53154. doi: 10.2196/53154.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
² University Hospital Würzburg, Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care, Emergency and Pain Medicine, Centre for Interdisciplinary Pain Medicine, Würzburg, Germany.
³ Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁴ Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁵ Emergency Telemedicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁶ Department of Clinical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
⁷ Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

PMID: 38684086
PMCID: PMC11060324
DOI: 10.2196/53154

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many health care providers to make changes in their treatment, with telemedicine being expanded on a large scale. An earlier study investigated the acceptance of telephone calls but did not record satisfaction with treatment or patients' preferences. This warranted a follow-up study to investigate acceptance, satisfaction, and preferences regarding telemedicine, comprising of phone consultations, among health care recipients.

Objective: The primary aim was to assess the acceptance and satisfaction of telemedicine during the subsequent months of 2021-2022, after the initial wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Furthermore, we aimed to assess patients' preferences and whether these differed in patients who had already experienced telemedicine in the past, as well as correlations between acceptance and satisfaction, pain intensity, general condition, perception of telemedicine, and catastrophizing. Finally, we aimed to investigate whether more governmental restrictions were correlated with higher acceptance.

Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted between January 27, 2021, and February 4, 2022, enrolling patients undergoing outpatient pain therapy in a tertiary university clinic. We conducted a descriptive analysis of acceptance and satisfaction with telemedicine and investigated patients' preferences. Further, we conducted a descriptive and correlational analysis of the COVID-19 stringency index. Spearman correlation analysis and a chi-square test for categorical data were used with Cramer V statistic to assess effect sizes.

Results: Our survey was completed by 60 patients. Telemedicine acceptance and satisfaction were high, with an average score of 7.6 (SD 3.3; on an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale from 0=not at all to 10=completely), and 8.8 (SD 1.8), respectively. Respondents generally preferred on-site consultations to telemedicine (n=35, 58% vs n=24, 40%). A subgroup analysis revealed that respondents who already had received phone consultation, showed a higher preference for telemedicine (n/N=21/42, 50% vs n/N=3/18, 17%; χ²₂ [N=60]=7.5, P=.02, Cramer V=0.354), as well as those who had been treated for more than 3 months (n/N=17/31, 55% vs n/N=7/29, 24%; χ²₂ [N=60]=6.5, P=.04, Cramer V=0.329). Acceptance of telemedicine showed a moderate positive correlation with satisfaction (r_s{58}=0.41, P<.05), but there were no correlations between the COVID-19 stringency index and the other variables.

Conclusions: Despite high acceptance of and satisfaction with telemedicine, patients preferred on-site consultations. Preference for telemedicine was markedly higher in patients who had already received phone consultations or had been treated for longer than 3 months. This highlights the need to convey knowledge of eHealth services to patients and the value of building meaningful relationships with patients at the beginning of treatment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the modality of patient care should be discussed individually.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; acceptance; chronic pain; eHealth services; health care delivery; health care providers; pain therapy; patient care; patient preferences; phone consultations; preference; satisfaction; telemedicine.

©Michael Alexander Harnik, Alina Scheidegger, Larissa Blättler, Zdenek Nemecek, Thomas C Sauter, Andreas Limacher, Florian Reisig, Martin grosse Holtforth, Konrad Streitberger. Originally published in JMIR Formative Research (https://formative.jmir.org), 29.04.2024.