Evaluation of a Clinical Video Telehealth Pain Management Clinic

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The objectives of this project were to evaluate patient satisfaction with the clinical video telehealth (CVT) pain management clinic, and to evaluate possible benefits of this clinic. Methods: Data collected included the distance from the patient's home to the main Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical center, the distance from the patient's home to the community based outpatient clinic (CBOC), travel distance saved for the patient, and travel pay status. Following CVT clinic appointments patients were asked to complete a written feedback assessment to evaluate patient satisfaction. All data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Veterans saved 8,981 miles in travel distance, and the VA saved $2,317.51 due to averted travel reimbursement. There was a 90% satisfaction rate with the CVT pain management clinic services, and 90% of patients agreed that they would recommend telehealth to other veterans. Conclusions: Overall, patients are satisfied with the CVT pain management clinic. Furthermore, the substantial miles saved for the patients, as well as the cost savings for the VA, indicates that this service has tangible benefits. As this clinic continues to operate, it can be expected that miles saved for patients and cost savings for the VA will continue to grow.

KEYWORDS :

• pain management
• pain
• clinical pharmacy
• telehealth
• ambulatory care
• patient satisfaction

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We would like to thank Dr. John Melendez-Benabe, MD, and Dr. Ramon Cuevas-Trisán, MD, for their assistance in completing this project. We would also like to thank the pharmacy department at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center for all of the help that many of the pharmacists provided in completing this project.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.