Patient satisfaction from ENT telephone consultations during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic

Abstract

Background Telephone consultations have rapidly increased in the out-patient setting because of the coronavirus pandemic. A quality improvement project was implemented to improve patient satisfaction of telephone consultations in our unit. Methods This was a prospective complete-cycle project. Patient satisfaction questionnaires were sent to patients following telephone consultations in ENT clinics. Based on a literature review and initial results, clinicians were encouraged to follow a structured consultation format. A second questionnaire survey was conducted following its implementation. Results One hundred patient questionnaires were collected during the survey (April and June 2020). There was significant improvement over the two surveys in terms of satisfaction scores (p = 0.026), along with a significantly increased preference for telephone consultations over face-to-face consultations (p = 0.021). Conclusion This study showed significant improvement in patient satisfaction and an increased telephone consultation preference through the use of a structured consultation model. The potential benefits in terms of infection control and impact on out-patient workload may see telephone consultations persist in the post-coronavirus era.