Teleconsultation During COVID-19 Pandemic in Chennai, India: A Cross- Sectional Study

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people hesitate to visit hospitals for consultation, treatment, and follow-up. Theavailability of advanced technologies, like teleconsultation, helps people continue their access to healthcare, consult doctors fortheir symptoms, and get treated. Few studies have been done in Tamilnadu to assess people's experience in accessing healthcarethrough a teleconsultation approach. As the pandemic is ongoing, it is imperative to assess the quality of healthcare and patientsatisfaction with teleconsultation services. With the above background, this study was done to assess the patient's experience inthe use of teleconsultation during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chennai, Tamilnadu. The study's objectives were to determine theattitude towards the use of teleconsultation and to describe the quality of healthcare provided through this method. This studywas done among residents in the city of Chennai, Tamilnadu. Individuals aged 18 years and above, residing in Chennai, and had atleast one teleconsultation during the COVID-19 pandemic were included. Data were collected by an online, self-administeredquestionnaire disseminated through various social media platforms. Data were entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed in Epiinfo. Among 405 study respondents, 61.2% were males. The mean age of the respondents was 34.6 years. Nearly 95.6% agreedthat teleconsultation services have made access to healthcare easier during the pandemic. Around 92.1% were satisfied with thequality of healthcare through teleconsultation. About 55.3% said they paid more for online consultation when compared todirect consultation. Among 92.6% of participants who were advised a follow-up consultation, only 52% completed the follow-up.About 90% still preferred direct consultation with healthcare providers in the future. Though many participants felt thatteleconsultation services improved access to healthcare during the pandemic, they still wished to contact healthcare providersdirectly in the future.