Journal of the Bahrain Medical Society
Year 2023, Volume 35, Issue 1, Pages 20-33
https://doi.org/10.26715/jbms.35_1_3Marwa Shareef1*, Reem AlSherooqi1*, Sara Altamimi1*, Zahra Isa1*, Hamad Kamashki1*, Adel AlSayyad2
1Third-Year Family Medicine Resident, Ministry of Health, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain.
2Consultant Family Medicine, Epidemiology and Public Health, Chief of Disease Control Section, Ministry of Health, Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain; Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine, CMMS, AGU.
*Corresponding author: Marwa Ahmed Shareef, Third-Year Family Medicine Resident, Building 929, Road 1015, Sanabis 410, Kingdom of Bahrain; Tel No.: (+973) 17288888; Email:marwii@live.com
Received date: November 10, 2022; Accepted date: January 15, 2023; Published date: March 31, 2023
For tables and figures, please refer to PDF.
Abstract
Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to the restructuring of traditional clinical activity; hence, globally, 58% of countries implemented the use of telemedicine to meet their healthcare needs.
Objective: To examine patients' satisfaction with telemedicine medical service and experience at the level of primary care in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 335 patients who used teleconsultations in January 2022 in primary care. A validated questionnaire was modified to assess patients' satisfaction with teleconsultation medical services and experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Results: A total of 315 responses were included in the final analysis (response rate 94%). Almost all expressed extreme satisfaction with the medical service as they were able to easily explain their medical problem over the phone and fully understood their illness after the consultation. They were also satisfied with the ability of the doctor to understand their problem, explain their treatment, and provide appropriate management over the phone. Over 90% were satisfied with the consultation time that it does not require transportation and would like to use it in the future. Sharing private or personal information over the phone received the lowest satisfaction rate (77.5%).
Conclusion: The overall satisfaction expressed by respondents of this survey with the teleconsultation medical service and experience is very high. Such a result confirms that patients have a positive attitude towards telemedicine services in primary care and are willing to use it again and, therefore, must be adopted as a proactive strategy to ensure long-term sustainability.
Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic, Satisfaction, Teleconsultation, Telemedicine.