Patient Telemedicine Perceptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic Within a Multi-State Medical Institution: Qualitative Study

Abstract

Journal of Medical Internet Research - International Scientific Journal for Medical Research, Information and Communication on the Internet #Preprint #PeerReviewMe: Warning: This is a unreviewed preprint. Readers are warned that the document has not been peer-reviewed by expert/patient reviewers or an academic editor, may contain misleading claims, and is likely to undergo changes before final publication, if accepted, or may have been rejected/withdrawn. Readers with interest and expertise are encouraged to sign up as peer-reviewer, if the paper is within an open peer-review period. Please cite this preprint only for review purposes or for grant applications and CVs (if you are the author). Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many healthcare institutions changed their outpatient clinical practice from face-to-face (f2f) appointments to telemedicine to prevent the spread of the virus. Despite these efforts, many patients still chose f2f appointments for non-emergent clinical care. Objective: This study explored patients’ personal and environmental barriers to the use of telemedicine from April–to December 2020. Methods: We conducted qualitative interviews of Mayo Clinic patients who attended f2f appointments at the Mayo Clinic but did not utilize Mayo Clinic video appointment services from April–to December 2020. Results: Our study found that while most patients were concerned about preventing COVID-19, they trusted in the Mayo Clinic to keep them safe when attending f2f appointments. Many expressed that video appointment made it difficult to establish a rapport with their providers during video appointments. Other common barriers to video appointments were poor digital access and literacy, and concerns about privacy and security. Conclusions: Our study provides an in-depth investigation into barriers to engaging in video appointments for non-emergent clinical care and suggests specific aspects of rapport that need to be assessed in more detail and problem solved at an individual level. Given the rising use of telemedicine services in healthcare, major clinical practice and federal/state policy changes are warranted to provide equal care to diverse patient groups.