A survey of patient satisfaction with telepsychiatry services delivered at a tertiary care hospital in western punjab during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: Previous research has shown promising results of telepsychiatry in the form of patient satisfaction. However, its utilization in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and with bare minimum resources in the Indian context is scarcely studied. Aim: To evaluate patient satisfaction with telepsychiatry services delivered at a tertiary care hospital in Western Punjab. Methods: This study was done among 114 patients who had availed of telepsychiatry services between September and November 2021. The patients were interviewed telephonically using a pretested semi-structured tool that measured patient satisfaction on a 5-point Likert Scale. Results: The satisfaction rate was very high for various aspects of telepsychiatry services such as ease of seeking appointments, video quality, attending doctor's concern for the patient, time given, ability to procure medicines using the e-prescription and so on. Conclusion: Telepsychiatry services delivered through an easy medium encourage us to further strengthen and undertake more research into this aspect of health-care delivery.