Patient satisfaction with telemedicine appointments in an academic Andrology-focused urology practice during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Shiff, Benjamin; Frankel, Jed; Oake, Justin; Blachman-Braun, Ruben; Patel, Premal

OBJECTIVE To evaluate patient satisfaction with telemedicine appointments as an alternative to in-person appointments at an Andrology-focused academic urology practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS Between March and June 2020, all appointments at the practice of a single Andrology-focused academic urologist were conducted by telephone. Consecutive patients were contacted by telephone following their appointment to complete a telephone questionnaire. Baseline demographic information was obtained, and perceptions regarding telephone appointments were assessed using a Likert scale. RESULTS Ninety-six patients completed the telephone questionnaire. Median age was 58.5 years (interquartile range [IQR] 37.3-62.8 years) with 55/96 (57.3%) of the appointments Andrology-focused. Mean distance of residence from the hospital was 8.4 km (IQR 4.7-25.2 km). Only 9/96 (9.3%) of the patients felt that the telephone format did not adequately address their needs. However, 26/96 (27.1%) of patients said they would prefer an in-person appointment. On multivariable analysis adjusting for age, gender, presenting complaint, type of appointment, education level, and employment status, no factors were associated with feeling that the telephone appointment adequately addressed needs or preference for an in-person appointment in the future. CONCLUSIONS Patients were generally satisfied with telephone appointments as an alternative to in-person appointments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, a substantial portion of patients said they would prefer in-person appointments in the future.