Addressing the Decline of Telemedicine in Orthopedic Sports Medicine Practice: A Cross-sectional Survey of Patient and Physician Perspectives

Author(s): Nicholas A, Jessica Truett, Mary Golden, Steve E. Jordan

Background: The objective of this study was to analyze patient and physician perceptions and satisfaction rates of telemedicine visits within an orthopaedic sports medicine practice following the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and the availability of vaccines.

Hypothesis/Purpose: This evaluation aimed to discover what aspects of telemedicine visits are efficient or reliable in a sports medicine setting.

Study Design: Cross-Sectional Study

Methods: All patients who completed telemedicine visits with an orthopaedic sports medicine physician at our institution between November 1, 2021, and August 3, 2022, were offered a 15-question Likert scale (1-5/5) survey to complete—a total of 45 patients completed surveys. The study population consisted of 26 (58%) males and 19 (42%) females, averaging 53±21 years old. All telemedicine visits were conducted using live video conferencing hosted through our institution’s electronic health record (Epic, Verona, WI, USA) with Vidyo (Hackensack, NJ, USA). Based on survey responses, an ordinal regression model was used to determine the most influential factors related to patient satisfaction, the likelihood of recommending telemedicine, and the likelihood of using telemedicine in the future. Email requests for participation from physicians were sent to all at the Andrews Institute. Twelve physicians responded and completed the consent process and survey.

Results: Satisfaction with the telemedicine visit was affected by five factors: patient age, comfort level with technology, perceived ease of use, whether the patient’s questions were addressed, and, lastly, whether or not there was a perceived reduction in care. Most patients were highly satisfied, as 84% were satisfied with their telemedicine visits. Similarly, 83% of physicians found that the inability to perform physical exams on patients hindered proper care for their patients. Most physicians overwhelmingly agreed that implementing telemedicine systems was not easy, along with dissatisfaction with patient outcomes and reviewing images with patients utilizing telemedicine systems.

Conclusion: A growing familiarity with the technology, time and cost savings, and positive patient experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic have established telemedicine services as a staple of modern medical practice. This study demonstrated that even with a near return to normalcy following the availability of COVID-19 vaccines, patients are willing to continue to utilize telemedicine services for their sports medicine visits. However, physician dissatisfaction and lack of thorough examination of patients points to telemedicine being subpar compared to in-person appointments. Although some aspects of telemedicine may be easier to implement in sports medicine practice, in-person examinations cannot be entirely replaced by telemedicine.