Evaluation of the usability of the telemedicine and video-consultation module at the ENT Medical Center-University Freiburg

Introduction The development of telemedical methods is being discussed as an important tool in today's medical care as it opens up an approach to optimize the efficiency of patient pathways and time processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usability of telemedicine and video-consultation at the ENT Medical Center-University Freiburg.

Methods From March- June 2021, the online telemedicine module was newly implemented at the ENT Medical Center Freiburg. Patients had the opportunity to make an online consultation appointment in the form of a personal outpatient appointment or a video-consultation. We recorded symptoms, age, travel distance, gender, insurance-status, special consultation wish and consultation choice. Acceptance of the offer was compared with the total volume of outpatient ENT patients. In March and April, we conducted video-consultations and analyzed the success.

Results The acceptance of telemedicine and the video-consultation was low. 507 out of a total of 7435 outpatient ENT patients used the telemedicine module. 35 patients chose the option of a video-consultation. In March and April, 10 patients requested video-consultation out of 128 telemedicine-requests and 3719 outpatient registrations. After a phone call, 19 patients agreed to a video-consultation. 11 video-consultations were carried out. The choise of consultation was not altered by age of the patients or travel distance.

Conclusion The usability of telemedicine at the ENT Medical Center-University Freiburg is low. A physical presentation is preferred, even under the restrictions and risks during the Covid19 pandemic. Further studies are needed to optimize the application possibilities and to evaluate possible useful areas of telemedicine, e.g. follow-up appointments.

Publication History

Article published online:
19 April 2024