Patient Satisfaction During a Pandemic – Virtually Impossible?

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic we conducted virtual telephone clinics in lieu of physical clinics for the first time at our institution This study aims to assess patient satisfaction with the virtual clinic format Methods: Patients who underwent telephone virtual urology consultation were contacted subsequently by phone and surveyed on satisfaction of their virtual review Convenience, thoroughness, satisfaction and preference were assessed via questionnaire, as well as reason for review Results: 77 randomly selected patients were contacted, comprising 63 males (82%) and 14 females (18%) with a median age of 61 years (range 16–86) 62 (80%) reviews, 12 (16%) new referrals and 3 (4%) initial post-operative follow-up patients were surveyed 55 (71%) were booked for further outpatient review, 13 (17%) had further investigations arranged, 6 (8%) were discharged, and 3 (4%) were listed for surgery The majority of patients, 73 (95%), felt it was a convenient way to conduct clinic, 3 (4%) were neutral and 1 (1%) found it inconvenient 74 (96%) felt they were thoroughly assessed and 76 (99%) of patients had their concerns addressed 74 (96%) were satisfied with their phone consultation, 2 (3%) were neutral, and 1 (1%) was dissatisfied Going forward, 50 (65%) would prefer phone follow-up and 27 (35%) would prefer a physical appointment Conclusion: A virtual telephone clinic is preferable to the majority of patients in our general urology service and is deemed convenient, thorough and satisfactory by them It should be facilitated going forward in appropriately selected patients