Telemedicine for head and neck ambulatory visits during COVID-19: Evaluating usability and patient satisfaction

Background In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a rapid increase in telemedicine visits. Otolaryngology patient satisfaction with these visits has not yet been extensively studied using a validated survey. Methods All patients who had telemedicine visits with three head and neck surgeons, by phone or video-based platform, between March 25, 2020 and April 24, 2020. Retrospective chart reviews were conducted to determine demographic, disease, and treatment information. Patients who had a video visit were contacted by telephone and, if they could be reached and consented, were administered the telehealth usability questionnaire (TUQ). Results Hundred surveys were completed. The average score across all questions was 6.01 on a scale from 1 to 7, where 7 indicated the highest level of patient agreement. The highest scores were for questions related to satisfaction with telehealth (6.29), while the lowest were related to reliability (4.86). Conclusions Patients are generally highly satisfied with telemedicine.