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Patients’ perception of using telehealth for consultation: insights after pandemic and development of an online calculator platform to predict acceptance of remote consultation: the TELEMED international study

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a change in healthcare models. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient acceptance of telehealth as an alternative to physical consultations, and to identify factors predicting higher satisfaction. This was an observational, cross-sectional, multi-center, international study. All consecutive patients for whom telehealth was used in consultations between April and July 2020 were considered for inclusion. The validated Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ) was used as a model to measure patient acceptance. Overall, 747 patients were observed, of whom 721 agreed to participate (96·5%). The TUQ showed that 86·9% of patients agreed that telehealth was useful; 85·2% supported the interface quality and 81·4% endorsed the interaction quality. Patients aged > 60 y were less likely to agree with the use of telehealth (p < 0·05). A web-based prediction tool was generated to calculate global satisfaction and to identify patients more likely to feel comfortable with telehealth. Telehealth is feasible and allows consultations that are satisfactory for patients. Technological advancements could ease safe implementation of telehealth into everyday practice. Adequate patient selection can be useful to ensure that the ideal strategy is used for each individual during and after the pandemic.

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Data availability

The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article and its Supplementary material. Raw data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

iHealthStudy Collaborators (all listed in Pubmed): Ana Belén Gallardo-Herrera, Hospital Universitario de Torrejón (Madrid), Laura Colao-García, Hospital Universitario de Torrejón (Madrid), Carlota García-Fernández, Hospital San Pedro (Logroño), Sara Subirats-Bort, Hospital San Pedro (Logroño), Aitor Landaluce-Olavarria, Hospital Urduliz (Bizcaia), Begoña Estraviz-Mateos, Hospital Urduliz (Bizcaia), Jorge Martínez-Iñiguez Blasco, Hospital San Pedro (Logroño), Cristina Tejedor-Carreño, Hospital San Pedro (Logroño), Teresa Calderón-Duque, Hospital Nuestra Señora del Prado (Toledo), Lourdes Gómez-Ruiz, Hospital Nuestra Señora del Prado (Toledo), Juan José Segura-Sampedro, Hospital Universitario Son Espases (Palma de Mallorca), Andrea Craus-Migue, l Hospital Universitario Son Espases (Palma de Mallorca), Ana María García-Cabrera, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Sevilla), María Luisa Reyes-Díaz, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Sevilla), Irene Ramallo, Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío (Sevilla), Patricia Tejedor, Hospital Universitario Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla (Madrid), Luis de Nicolas Navas, Hospital Universitario Central de la Defensa Gómez Ulla (Madrid), Elena Viejo-Martínez, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor (Madrid), Alicia Ruiz de la Hermosa García Pardo, Hospital Universitario Infanta Leonor (Madrid), Rebeca Saeta Campo, Hospital de la Marina Baixa (Alicante), Ana Apio-Cepeda, Hospital de la Marina Baixa (Alicante), Carlos Cerdán-Santacruz, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa (Madrid), Lara Blanco-Terés, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa (Madrid), David Moro-Valdezate, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia (Valencia), Ernesto Muñoz-Sornosa, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valencia (Valencia), Sara Roldán-Baños, Hospital de Zafra (Badajoz), Ernesto Jesús Barzola-Navarro, Hospital de Zafra (Badajoz), Ismael Antón-Fernández, Hospital Insular Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Antonio Navarro-Sánchez, Hospital Insular Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Rega Daniela, IRCSS—Fondazione G. Pascale (Italy), Delrio Paolo, IRCSS—Fondazione G. Pascale (Italy), Hosam Hamed, Truelife Digestive and Bariatric Center (Egypt), Mohamed Said, Truelife Digestive and Bariatric Center (Egypt), Andrea Belli, INT Pascale IRCCS Napoli (Italy), Renato Patrone, INT Pascale IRCCS Napoli (Italy), Arcangelo Picciariello, Policlinico of Bari (Italy), Donato F. Altomare, Policlinico of Bari (Italy), Sohail Bakkar, The Hashemite University (Jordan), Luca Pio, Hospital Robert-Debré (France), Liza Ali, Hospital Robert-Debré (France), Pierfrancesco Lapolla, Policlinico Umberto I—Sapienza University of Rome, Andrea Mingoli, Policlinico Umberto I—Sapienza University of Rome, Ljiljana Milic, University Clinacal Center “Zvezdara” (Serbia), Dragana Arbutina, University Clinacal Center “Zvezdara” (Serbia), Víctor Turrado-Rodríguez, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Colorectal Unit, Department of General Surgery, Elche University Hospital, Miguel Hernandez University, C/Almazara nº11, 03203, Elche, Alicante, Spain

    Luis Sánchez-Guillén & Cristina Lillo-García

  2. Centre of Operations Research, Joint Research Unit UMH-FISABIO (STATSALUT), Miguel Hernandez University, 03202, Elche, Spain

    Xavier Barber

  3. Centre of Operations Research, University of Alicante, 03080, Alicante, Spain

    César González-Mora

  4. Colorectal Surgery Unit, Surgical Department, La Paz University Hospital, 28046, Madrid, Spain

    Mario Álvarez-Gallego

  5. Department of General, Athens Medical Centre, Laparoscopic, Oncologic and Robotic Surgery, Athens, Greece

    Argyrios Ioannidis

  6. Department of Surgery, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Stefan Clermonts

  7. Service de Chirurgie Colorectale, Pôle des Maladies de l’Appareil Digestif, Hôpital Beaujon, Assistance Publique- Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Université de Paris, 100 Boulevard du Général Leclerc, 92118, Clichy Cedex, France

    Alice Frontali

  8. European Patients’ Academy (EUPATI) Spain, European Federation of Crohn’s & Ulcerative Colitis Associations (EFCCA), 1000, Brussels, Belgium

    Roberto Saldaña

  9. Faculty of Medicine, San Carlos Clinic Hospital, San Carlos Health Research Institute, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Julio Mayol

  10. Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy

    Gianluca Pellino

  11. Colorectal Unit, Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain

    Gianluca Pellino

Authors
  1. Luis Sánchez-Guillén
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  2. Cristina Lillo-García
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  3. Xavier Barber
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  4. César González-Mora
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  5. Mario Álvarez-Gallego
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  6. Argyrios Ioannidis
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  7. Stefan Clermonts
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  8. Alice Frontali
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  9. Roberto Saldaña
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  10. Julio Mayol
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  11. Gianluca Pellino
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Consortia

on behalf of the iHealthStudy Collaborators

  • Ana Belén Gallardo-Herrera
  • , Laura Colao-García
  • , Carlota García-Fernández
  • , Sara Subirats-Bort
  • , Aitor Landaluce
  • , Begoña Estraviz-Mateos
  • , Jorge Martínez-Iñiguez Blasco
  • , Cristina Tejedor-Carreño
  • , Teresa Calderón-Duque
  • , Lourdes Gómez-Ruiz
  • , Juan José Segura-Sampedro
  • , Andrea Craus-Miguel
  • , Ana María García-Cabrera
  • , María Luisa Reyes-Díaz
  • , Irene Ramallo
  • , Patricia Tejedor
  • , Luis de Nicolas Navas
  • , Elena Viejo-Martínez
  • , Alicia Ruiz de la Hermosa García Pardo
  • , Rebeca Saeta Campo
  • , Ana Apio-Cepeda
  • , Carlos Cerdán-Santacruz
  • , Lara Blanco-Terés
  • , David Moro-Valdezate
  • , Ernesto Muñoz-Sornosa
  • , Sara Roldán-Baños
  • , Ernesto Jesús Barzola-Navarro
  • , Ismael Antón
  • , Antonio Navarro-Sánchez
  • , Rega Daniela
  • , Delrio Paolo
  • , Hosam Hamed Truelife
  • , Mohamed Said
  • , Andrea Belli
  • , Renato Patrone
  • , Arcangelo Picciariello
  • , Donato F. Altomare
  • , Sohail Bakkar
  • , Luca Pio
  • , Liza Ali
  • , Pierfrancesco Lapolla
  • , Andrea Mingoli
  • , Ljiljana Milic
  • , Dragana Arbutina
  •  & Víctor Turrado-Rodríguez

Contributions

Conceptualization, LS-G and CL-G; formal analysis, LS-G, CL-G, and XB; investigation, LS-G and CL-G; methodology, LS-G, CL-G, and XB; writing—original draft preparation, LS-G and CL-G; writing—review and editing, LS-G, CL-G, CG-M, MA-G, AI, SC, AF, RS, JM, and GP; all authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Luis Sánchez-Guillén or Cristina Lillo-García.

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Conflict of interest

This study does not have external funding. All the researchers participating in the study do it altruistically without receiving financial retribution. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Sánchez-Guillén, L., Lillo-García, C., Barber, X. et al. Patients’ perception of using telehealth for consultation: insights after pandemic and development of an online calculator platform to predict acceptance of remote consultation: the TELEMED international study. Updates Surg (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13304-024-01780-z

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