Telehealth Visit Satisfaction in Geriatric Patients

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shutdown in access to healthcare and an increase in the use of telehealth. Surprisingly, the literature lacks the effectiveness, acceptability, and satisfaction of telehealth visits for geriatric patients (patients over 65). The purpose of this study was to explore the opinions of geriatric patients about telephone visits. Methods: This study investigates the satisfaction and acceptability of telehealth visits for 58 geriatric patients at UNTHSC geriatrics clinic. Patients were asked about call quality, sharing sensitive information over the phone, whether a telehealth visit was as good as an in person visit and if they would choose telehealth over in person visits. Questions were rated on a Likert-type scale from 0 to 10 with 0 being unlikely, 10 being very likely and 5 being neutral. Results: Participants were 70.7% females, mostly Caucasian. 62% were extremely satisfied with visit quality and extremely comfortable sharing sensitive information. 33.6% agreed telehealth visits were good as in person visits, while 28.1% disagreed. Patient opinions revealed that they did not want to miss out on the immersive experience of physical interactions with physicians. Lastly, 21.4% were very likely to choose telehealth visits in future whereas 12.5% were very unlikely. Conclusions: Most geriatric patients were satisfied with the quality of the telehealth visit and felt comfortable sharing sensitive information. Majority preferred virtual visits over in person visits. Future research needs to include a more diverse geriatric patient population and also incorporate options for virtual (video and audio) telehealth visits.