Patient Experience Survey in a Corneal Service Conducted by Remote Consultation

Abstract

Introduction

An ophthalmic remote consultation clinic was implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic for stable patients under the corneal service in a district general hospital in Cheshire, UK. Patients were reviewed either by video or telephone consultation. The purpose of this survey was to assess patient satisfaction with this service.

Methods

Consecutive patients who were seen by remote consultation between September 2020 and November 2020 were identified. Approval for the survey was gained from the hospital Patient Experience and Survey department. A telephone survey was conducted between 4 and 8 weeks after the initial patient appointment. Data were obtained for patient demographic information, appointment details and patient satisfaction with their appointment, including preference for subsequent appointments and open feedback.

Results

Eighty-four remote consultations were identified and 51 (60.7%) patients completed the survey: 48 (94.1%) reported satisfaction with their remote consultation; 36 (70.5%) reported satisfaction for a subsequent remote consultation; and 33 (64.7%) patients reported they preferred being seen remotely rather than face-to-face. Qualitative data on patients’ thoughts about the service could be categorised into 4 themes: satisfaction with the interaction and service, conveniency, lack of clinical examination and satisfaction with the service given the current pandemic circumstances.

Conclusion

This survey has shown that patients were satisfied with their remote consultation and the majority thought it was an acceptable method of consultation. This also allowed patients to continue being seen during a period of COVID-19 lockdown and reduce patient footfall through the hospital. Overall feedback indicated very high levels of patient satisfaction with this service.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• ophthalmology
• telemedicine
• cornea

Ethical Approval

This survey is categorized as service evaluation and thus ethical approval by a research ethics committee was not required as per the National Health Service Health Research Authority guidelines in the United Kingdom. Approval was sought by an advisory group from the Patient Experience and Survey department at Leighton Hospital, Mid Cheshire NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust. This survey was conducted in accordance with the declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was gained from patients to participate in the survey and no patient identifiable information is included in the manuscript.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Disclosure

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.