Telemedicine for Surgical Consultations - Pandemic Response or Here to Stay?: A Report of Public Perceptions.

Abstract

This study aims to determine the public's perception of telemedicine surgical consultations, during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. With rapid expansion and uptake of telemedicine during the pandemic, many have posited that virtual visits will endure even as in-person visits are reinstated. The public's perception of telemedicine for an initial surgical consultation has not been previously studied. A 43-question survey assessed respondents' attitudes toward telemedicine for initial consultations with surgeons, both in the context of COVID-19 and during "normal circumstances." Participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk, an online crowd-sourcing marketplace. Based on 1827 analyzable responses, we found that a majority (86%) of respondents reported being satisfied (either extremely or somewhat) with telemedicine encounters. Interestingly, preference for in-person versus virtual surgical consultation reflected access to care, with preference for telemedicine decreasing from 72% to 33% when COVID-related social distancing ends. Preferences for virtual visits decreased with increasing complexity of the surgical intervention, even during the pandemic. A majority felt that "establishing trust and comfort" was best accomplished in person, and the vast majority felt it was important to meet their surgeons before the day of surgery. The public views telemedicine as an acceptable substitute for in-person visits, especially during the pandemic. However, it seems that an in-person interaction is still preferred when possible for surgical consultations. If telemedicine services are to persist beyond social distancing, further exploration of its impact on the patient-surgeon relationship will be needed.