No Pelvic Exam, No Problem: Patient Satisfaction Following the Integration of Comprehensive Urogynecology Telemedicine

Authors

Stephanie Sansone, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 E 68th St, J130, New York, NY, 10065, USA. sas2064@nyp.org.
Jessica Lu, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 E 68th St, J130, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
Siri Drangsholt, Department of Urology, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY, USA.
Tirsit S. Asfaw, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 E 68th St, J130, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
Saya Segal, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine, 525 E 68th St, J130, New York, NY, 10065, USA.

Author Type(s)

Faculty

Journal Title

International Urogynecology Journal

First Page

2401

Last Page

2407

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-1-2022

Department

Urology

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The COVID-19 pandemic revolutionized the practice of medicine, requiring rapid adoption of telemedicine. However, patient satisfaction has not been well characterized for telemedicine visits for a broad range of urogynecologic conditions. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional survey study following a retrospective review of all urogynecologic telemedicine visits from March 1, 2020, to March 31, 2021, at a tertiary care center. The survey queried patient satisfaction using the Likert scale. Descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact analyses were performed. RESULTS: There were 256 telemedicine visits at our institution during the study period, and 88 patients (34% unadjusted response rate) completed the survey. The average age of study participants was 55 (SD 17; 24, 84) years old. The majority of patients were white (69%), lived within the five boroughs of NYC (81%), and had higher levels of education (72% with a bachelor's or professional degree). Most visits were for urinary complaints (68%), with those patients reporting greater fulfillment of urogynecologic needs compared to patients presenting with pelvic complaints (p = 0.02). There were no significant differences in satisfaction among other demographics (p > 0.05). Altogether, high satisfaction rates were noted for scheduling (99%), technology (90%), provider interaction (96%), fulfillment of personal needs (91%), and overall satisfaction (94%). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate high patient satisfaction for telemedicine visits in a tertiary urogynecology clinic for a variety of indications, with greater fulfillment of urogynecologic needs observed for those visits which may not necessitate an in-person exam (e.g., urinary complaint).

Recommended Citation

Sansone, S., Lu, J., Drangsholt, S., Asfaw, T. S., & Segal, S. (2022). No Pelvic Exam, No Problem: Patient Satisfaction Following the Integration of Comprehensive Urogynecology Telemedicine. International Urogynecology Journal, 33 (9), 2401-2407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00192-022-05104-w