Evaluation of virtual dermatology clinic experience during coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, advantages, and disadvantages

Abstract

Introduction During the current lockdown due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the healthcare system should be modified to reach out to a large number of patients with effective service. Virtual clinics are one possible solution to the challenges healthcare systems face worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aim To evaluate the experience of the virtual clinic in Dermatology Department at King Khaled University Hospital and to evaluate its advantages and disadvantages, and whether or not this service is practical to apply in the future. Patients and methods To assess the patients’ attitude toward virtual clinics, 1220 patients were offered a phone consultation during May 2020. A questionnaire was drafted with 23 questions sent to all the patients via cellular text. Seven of these questions were related to patient demographics. The remaining questions assessed patient satisfaction, occupational efficiency, and quality of care. Statistical analysis was performed using R v 3.6.3. Sociodemographic characteristics were included as independent variables. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess patient satisfaction. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with satisfaction. Results Only 115 patients responded to the survey. About 34.8% of them found virtual clinics more comfortable compared with face-to-face visits, and 65.2% were satisfied with the care received through these clinics. However, 34.8% of the patients could not know the appropriate treatment, and 37.4% thought they did not receive all the needed information about their health condition. Overall, 71.3% of the patients were satisfied with the provided diagnosis. The most common reason for nonsatisfaction with virtual clinics was the lack of clinical examination (62.39%) and difficulty communicating with the physician (42.94%). Conclusion Virtual dermatology clinics can provide satisfactory dermatology care services to the patients during COVID-19 and can reduce the risk of exposure and transmission of the virus. These services have optimal occupational efficiency, patient-satisfaction rate, and quality of care.