TY - JOUR

T1 - Medical specialists' use and opinion of video consultation in Denmark

T2 - a survey study

AU - Møller, Olivia Mandal

AU - Vange, Sif Sofie

AU - Borsch, Anne Sofie

AU - Dam, Tomas Norman

AU - Jensen, Anja Mb

AU - Jervelund, Signe Smith

N1 - © 2024. The Author(s).

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of telemedicine which is seen as a possibility to reduce the pressure on healthcare systems globally. However, little research has been carried out on video as a consultation medium in medical specialists' practice. This study investigated the use of and opinion on video consultation among specialists in Denmark.METHODS: An online survey on use of video consultation, as well as relevance of and opinion on video consultation, was distributed to all 963 medical specialists in private practice in Denmark throughout May and June 2022, resulting in 499 complete answers (response rate: 51.8%). Data were analysed using descriptive and logistic regression analyses, and data from open text fields were analysed using thematic network analysis.RESULTS: Among the respondents, 62.2% had never used video consultation, while 23.4% were currently using video consultation, most particularly among psychiatrists. A total of 47.3% found video consultation medically irrelevant to their specialty, especially radiologists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and otorhinolaryngologists. According to the specialists, video consultation was most suitable for follow-up consultations and simple medical issues, where the patient had an established diagnosis. In these cases, mutual trust remained present in video consultations. Better access for the patients and fewer cancellations, especially for psychiatrists, were highlighted as benefits. IT problems were reported as obstacles hindering optimal use of video consultation.CONCLUSION: The political aspiration to digitization in healthcare systems should be rooted in professionals' and patients' perceptions and experiences with video consultation which emphasize that it is not a standard tool for all consultations.

AB - BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of telemedicine which is seen as a possibility to reduce the pressure on healthcare systems globally. However, little research has been carried out on video as a consultation medium in medical specialists' practice. This study investigated the use of and opinion on video consultation among specialists in Denmark.METHODS: An online survey on use of video consultation, as well as relevance of and opinion on video consultation, was distributed to all 963 medical specialists in private practice in Denmark throughout May and June 2022, resulting in 499 complete answers (response rate: 51.8%). Data were analysed using descriptive and logistic regression analyses, and data from open text fields were analysed using thematic network analysis.RESULTS: Among the respondents, 62.2% had never used video consultation, while 23.4% were currently using video consultation, most particularly among psychiatrists. A total of 47.3% found video consultation medically irrelevant to their specialty, especially radiologists, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and otorhinolaryngologists. According to the specialists, video consultation was most suitable for follow-up consultations and simple medical issues, where the patient had an established diagnosis. In these cases, mutual trust remained present in video consultations. Better access for the patients and fewer cancellations, especially for psychiatrists, were highlighted as benefits. IT problems were reported as obstacles hindering optimal use of video consultation.CONCLUSION: The political aspiration to digitization in healthcare systems should be rooted in professionals' and patients' perceptions and experiences with video consultation which emphasize that it is not a standard tool for all consultations.

KW - Humans

KW - Denmark

KW - Female

KW - COVID-19/epidemiology

KW - Male

KW - Adult

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Surveys and Questionnaires

KW - Attitude of Health Personnel

KW - Specialization

KW - SARS-CoV-2

KW - Telemedicine

KW - Videoconferencing

KW - Remote Consultation/statistics & numerical data

KW - Referral and Consultation/statistics & numerical data

KW - Pandemics

U2 - 10.1186/s12913-024-10868-6

DO - 10.1186/s12913-024-10868-6

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 38658946

VL - 24

JO - BMC Health Services Research

JF - BMC Health Services Research

SN - 1472-6963

IS - 1

M1 - 516

ER -