Patient and physician satisfaction with telemedicine in pediatric otolaryngology

Objectives: 1) Evaluate the caregiver-perceived benefits and barriers of a tertiary pediatric otolaryngology telemedicine service using the validated Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQ); 2) Explore the provider's perception and experience on the current telemedicine platform using a modified Physician Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ). Methods: Caregivers of patients <= 18 years of age who received telemedicine services from May 4 to June 18, 2020 (duration of telemedicine use) were eligible for this study. Caregivers were contacted via telephone and given the option to answer the TSQ over the phone, receive a link via email, or decline participation. Providers were administered the modified PSQ as an anonymous, self-report online instrument on the 2 nd week of telemedicine implementation. The study authors were excluded from the PSQ. Results: 58/148 caregivers completed the TSQ. The TSQ questions were grouped into three categories: quality of care, similarity to in-person care, and perception of the interaction. Caregivers felt the most satisfied with the perception of the interaction (mean response 4.84, SD 0.08, p < 0.05). With the PSQ, providers had less favorable responses when compared to the TSQ across all categories (p < 0.05 for all categories) but did report satisfaction for the perception of the interaction (mean response 3.37, SD 0.85). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates further evidence that the telemedicine may provide positive benefits. Caregivers were supportive of this service due to its convenience. Providers felt confident using this service, but they also felt the care provided was different from that in the clinic. Improvement in the telemedicine platforms and associated technology for physical exams may help improve the quality of telemedicine care, and similarity to in-person care.