Society For Pediatric Urology

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Satisfaction with Telemedicine Evaluation of Pediatric Urology Patients: A Quality Improvement Project
James Harter, M21, Stephen Canon, MD2, Ismael Zamilpa, MD2, Ashay Patel, DO2.
1University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA, 2Arkansas Children's Hospital, Pediatric Urology, Little Rock, AR, USA.

Background: We conducted a prospective quality improvement project of 73 pediatric urology patients assessing guardian satisfaction with the quality of telemedicine visits at three of our regional clinics.
Methods: From September 2016 to May 2017, 73 patients seen in our regional telemedicine clinics were prospectively surveyed using an 11 question validated telemedicine survey on a Likert Scale. The guardians of the patients were surveyed to assess the quality of the audiovisual telemedicine equipment, comfort using the system, and the level of care provided during the visit. Additionally, we determined the distance travelled from their home to our regional telemedicine sites and our main hospital.
Results: Of 73 patients, 16 were new patients and 57 were follow-up visits. Of the follow-up visits, 18 were for post-surgical evaluation. The average distance from patient home to our main hospital was 179.54 miles, whereas the average distance to the regional clinic was 25.82 miles. With telemedicine visits, these patients saved an average of 307.44 miles traveling round trip. On a Likert Scale with 5=Excellent, patient's guardian satisfaction to 10 questions averaged from 4.64 to 4.90, with the quality of care averaging 4.80. Of the 73 surveyed guardians, 71 reported they would use telemedicine again.
Conclusions: This quality improvement project supports the use of telemedicine for the evaluation of pediatric urology patients and suggests that guardian satisfaction and substantial reductions in travel distance, time, and costs can be achieved.


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