Primary care consumers’ experiences and opinions of a telehealth consultation delivered via video during the COVID-19 pandemic
Jo-Anne Manski-Nankervis
A B * , Sandra Davidson A , Harriet Hiscock C D E , Christine Hallinan A , Jemimah Ride F , Vignesh Lingam G , Jessica Holman H , Andrew Baird A , Emma McKeown A H and Lena Sanci A
A Department of General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
B Centre for Digital Transformation of Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
C Health Services Research Unit, The Royal Children’s Hospital, 50 Flemington Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3052, Australia.
D Health Services, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, 50 Flemington Road, Melbourne, Vic. 3052, Australia.
E Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
F Health Economics Unit, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
G South Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, Heatherton, Vic. 3202, Australia.
H North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia.
Australian Journal of Primary Health 28(3) 224-231 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY21193
Submitted: 8 August 2021 Accepted: 22 December 2021 Published: 15 March 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY)
Abstract
This study examined consumers’ experiences and opinions of a videoconference with a primary healthcare professional, and estimated the value of travel and time savings for consumers compared with face-to-face consultations. The online survey was conducted in Melbourne, Australia, between October 2020 and May 2021. The sample (n = 499) was highly educated (Bachelor degree or higher, 79%; 393/499), predominately female (70%; 347/499), mainly spoke English at home (78%; 390/499) and had a mean age of 31.8 years (s.d. 11.40). Reduced travel time (27%; 271/499) and avoiding exposure to COVID-19 (23%; 228/499) were the main reasons consumers chose a videoconference. Mental health and behavioural issues were the main reason for the consultation (38%; 241/499) and 69% (346/499) of consultations were with a general practitioner. Perceptions of the quality of care were uniformly high, with 84% (419/499) of respondents believing videoconference was equivalent to a face-to-face consultation. No association was found between reporting that telehealth was equivalent to a face-to-face consultation and education, language, health status, reason for consultation or provider type. The average time saved per consultation was 1 h and 39 min, and the average transport-related saving was A$14.29. High rates of acceptance and substantial cost savings observed in this study warrant further investigation to inform the longer-term role of videoconferences, and telehealth more broadly, in the Australian primary care system.
Keywords: allied health, cost analysis, COVID-19, general practice, health services research, survey, telemedicine, videoconference.
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