CHICAGO — Satisfaction ratings for virtual outpatient visits for pediatric orthopedic patients were similar to those for in-person office visits across most categories in an analysis of post-encounter surveys completed by patients at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Satisfaction ratings for both virtual and office visits were consistently higher than 85% across all measured parameters, according to the data presented at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2022 Annual Meeting.
Ahmed Emara, MD, a clinical research fellow in adult joint reconstruction at the Cleveland Clinic, led the study, which included data from all patients or guardians at the clinic who experienced such visits from March 2020 to March 2021.
A total of 1686 responses were received, of which 226 (13.4%) involved virtual visits and 1460 (86.6%) involved in-office visits. The primary endpoint was a patient-reported satisfaction score of good or excellent.
Analysis included ratings for access, care provider, telemedicine technology, and overall assessment/perception of satisfaction.
Target Areas for Improvement
In some areas, the virtual visits were less satisfactory than the in-office visits.
Patients had lower odds of reporting good/excellent satisfaction regarding their ability to schedule at a particularly convenient time (odds ratio [OR]: 0.1; 95% CI: 0.08 – 0.18; P < .001). Study authors said scheduling more virtual time slots may help increase satisfaction in that area.
