1691 Survey of Patient Attitudes Towards Face-To-Face and Telemedicine Teaching in the COVID-19 Era. (12th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Coady, L; Charturvedi, A; Fearon, N; Heneghan, H; Carrington, E
• Is Part Of: British journal of surgery. Volume 108:Supplement 6(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-10-12
• Subjects: Surgery -- Periodicals; 617.005
• DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znab259.920
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0007-1323

Abstract

Abstract: Background: COVID-19 has profoundly impacted the healthcare education environment and telemedicine has been used to augment face-to-face learning and support social-distancing. There is little evidence which examines how patients feel about participating in teaching with this technology. Method: A prospective survey of 229 surgical inpatients/outpatients was conducted at a university hospital between August–September 2020. The survey consisted of 31 questions (7-point Likert scales, quantitative items, and free-text answers) to explore: general attitudes towards teaching, attitudes towards COVID-19, perceptions of face-to-face teaching and perceptions of telemedicine teaching. Relationships between demographics and areas of interest were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. Results: Patients reported a positive attitude towards both face-to-face (mean 5.5 [1.1SD]) and telemedicine teaching (5.4 [1.2]) however there was a preference for the face-to-face approach (mean difference [MD]=.16, p = 0.14). Face-to-face teaching was found to be less bothersome (MD=.32, p=.002) and more rewarding (MD.33, p<.001). Older patients were more likely to report both teaching techniques as embarrassing (face-to-face r=.16, p=.048; telemedicine r=.15, p=.036) or as an infringement on their privacy (face-to-face r=.13, p=.048; telemedicine r=.17, p=.017). Qualitative analyses revealed four themes of the patient experience: apprentice role of students, communication skills, transient need for telemedicine during COVID-19 and privacy concerns. Conclusions: Despite reporting a favourable impression of telemedicine teaching, patients prefer traditional face-to-face styles as they find telemedicine more bothersome and less rewarding. Educators should take this into consideration during planning of teaching during the pandemic.