Assessing dysphagia via telerehabilitation: patient perceptions and satisfaction.
To gain insight into factors which may influence future acceptance of dysphagia management via telerehabilitation, patients' perceptions were examined before and after a telerehabilitation assessment session. Forty adult patients with dysphagia (M =66 years, SD =16.25) completed pre- and post-session questionnaires which consisted of 14 matched questions worded to suit pre- and post-conditions. Questions explored comfort with the use of telerehabilitation, satisfaction with audio and video quality, benefits of telerehabilitation assessments and patients' preferred assessment modality. Questions were rated on a 5-point scale (1 = strongly disagree, 3 = unsure, 5 = strongly agree). Patients' comfort with assessment via telerehabilitation was high in over 80% of the group both pre- and post-assessment. Pre-assessment, patients were unsure what to expect with the auditory and visual aspects of the videoconference, however there were significant positive changes reported post-experience. In relation to perceived benefits of telerehabilitation services in general, most patients believed in the value of telerehabilitation and post-assessment this increased to 90-100% agreement. Although 92% felt they would be comfortable receiving services via telerehabilitation, 45% of patients indicated ultimate preference for a traditional face-to-face assessment. The data highlight that patients are interested in and willing to receive services via telerehabilitation; however, any concerns should be addressed pre-assessment.
Division of Speech Pathology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. shobha.sharma@uq.edu.au
Shobha
S
Sharma
Elizabeth C
EC
Ward
Clare
C
Burns
Deborah
D
Theodoros
Trevor
T
Russell
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000639:trends; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017216:Telemedicine; D049269:Videoconferencing