2023 Volume 14 Issue 2 Pages 88-92
Introduction: Several hospitals have introduced outpatient telephone consultations because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For the continuity and development of this approach, acquiring an understanding of the needs of patients and clarifying applicable cases are relevant objectives. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of patients who did not prefer to continue telephone consultations.
Methods: A total of 293 patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease responded to a questionnaire regarding their preferences for future medical consultations (primary endpoints of the study). Participants selected one from the following responses: "always by phone," "sometimes by phone," "by phone in case of emergency," and "always face-to-face." We collected information on patient demographics, medical treatment, and symptom history using medical records as secondary endpoints. In addition, we performed a logistic regression analysis to examine the characteristics of patients who expressed a preference for care that was "always face-to-face."
Results: The average age of the patients was 72 years. They had received an average of 1.5 telephone consultations, and 4% of these patients chose "always by phone" as their preference for future medical consultations. Further, 29% chose "sometimes by phone," 28% chose "by phone in case of emergency," and 29% chose "always face-to-face." A multivariate analysis revealed that patients who preferred face-to-face consultations were more likely to be in their 70s (odds ratio: 2.30). Furthermore, these patients scored higher on the numeric rating scale (NRS) for back pain (1.15). In this group, there were fewer patients with J1 daily living skills (0.40) compared with other respondents.
Conclusions: Patients in their 70s, those with severe back pain, and those who were limited in their activities of daily living tended to prefer face-to-face medical consultations. Many of these patients prefer to consult with their doctors about their pain face-to-face rather than by phone. Moreover, several might prefer to receive a palpation or injection.
