INTRODUCTION
Telemedicine use has expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is limited data on patient satisfaction with teledermatology; therefore, we examined patient teledermatology experiences at a large academic center.
After Weill Cornell Medicine Institutional Review Board approval, patients scheduled for teledermatology visits (1/2021–4/2021) were enrolled and sent pre/post-consultation questionnaires about telemedicine satisfaction, expectations, and concerns (5-point Likert scale) (82% response rate). Continuous outcomes were reported as means and categorical outcomes as percentages. Fisher’s exact and Chi-squared tests compared responses based on gender, age group, race, and clinic distance, respectively. Identical pre/post-consultation questions were compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P<0.5).
Of 202 participants, 120 (59%) were female with mean age 49 years. Participants were largely White (78%) and non-Hispanic (86%). The majority had at least a college degree (94%) and were employed (66%; Supplemental Table 1).
Younger patients (21-40) were more satisfied with telemedicine (P=.016), and its convenience (P=.001), compared to older participants (≥66; P=.001, P=.019). Those with shorter travel times (<30min) preferred in-person visits (P=.031; Table 1). Non-White race was associated with greater concerns for conversation privacy and inappropriate information access (both P=.004). White race was associated with greater confidence in telemedicine diagnosis (P=.032; Figure 1).
Participants had less trouble hearing and seeing than anticipated (P=<.001 and P=.005). Patients were more interested in using telemedicine and preferred it over in-person appointments post vs pre-consultation (P<.001 both; Supplemental Table 2).
After Weill Cornell Medicine Institutional Review Board approval, patients scheduled for teledermatology visits (1/2021–4/2021) were enrolled and sent pre/post-consultation questionnaires about telemedicine satisfaction, expectations, and concerns (5-point Likert scale) (82% response rate). Continuous outcomes were reported as means and categorical outcomes as percentages. Fisher’s exact and Chi-squared tests compared responses based on gender, age group, race, and clinic distance, respectively. Identical pre/post-consultation questions were compared with Wilcoxon signed-rank test (P<0.5).
Of 202 participants, 120 (59%) were female with mean age 49 years. Participants were largely White (78%) and non-Hispanic (86%). The majority had at least a college degree (94%) and were employed (66%; Supplemental Table 1).
Younger patients (21-40) were more satisfied with telemedicine (P=.016), and its convenience (P=.001), compared to older participants (≥66; P=.001, P=.019). Those with shorter travel times (<30min) preferred in-person visits (P=.031; Table 1). Non-White race was associated with greater concerns for conversation privacy and inappropriate information access (both P=.004). White race was associated with greater confidence in telemedicine diagnosis (P=.032; Figure 1).
Participants had less trouble hearing and seeing than anticipated (P=<.001 and P=.005). Patients were more interested in using telemedicine and preferred it over in-person appointments post vs pre-consultation (P<.001 both; Supplemental Table 2).
