Clinician Telemedicine Perceptions During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background:Telemedicine utilization increased exponentially due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. As a result, most clinicians now have experience with telemedicine. Questions/Purposes:We studied factors independently associated with a clinician desiring to continue telemedicine services after the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondarily, we sought factors independently associated with clinician satisfaction with the quality of care provided through telemedicine and factors associated with telemedicine platform preference by clinicians. Methods:A large multispecialty medical group of physicians were invited to complete a survey, including demographics, telemedicine experience, satisfaction with various elements of telemedicine encounters, desired features in a telemedicine platform, personality traits, and preferences. A total of 220 complete responses were analyzed. Results: A desire to continue offering telemedicine visits after the COVID-19 pandemic was independently associated with a higher satisfaction with the quality of telemedicine care, endorsement of the ease of performing a physical examination with telemedicine, belief that adaptability is an important element of being a clinician, and less preference for in-person work meetings over virtual meetings. Higher satisfaction with the quality of telemedicine care was associated with belief that adaptability is an important element of being a clinician, clinicians who identify as being more perceiving (value flexibility) than judging (value organization), providers from relatively urban counties, and those with less preference for in-person work meetings over virtual meetings. Clinicians ranked ease of use for patients and physicians as the most important features of telemedicine platforms. Conclusions:The observed association of clinician personality and interpersonal preferences with the appeal, satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness of telemedicine merit additional study. Early implementation of telemedicine might be easiest with clinicians that take pride in their adaptability and value a technology-based workstyle.

Automated summary

The study found that factors associated with clinicians desiring to continue offering telemedicine services include higher satisfaction with the quality of care provided through telemedicine, belief in adaptability as an important element of being a clinician, and preference for virtual meetings over in-person work meetings. Clinicians ranked ease of use for patients and physicians as the most important features of telemedicine platforms.