Teledentistry from a patient perspective during the coronavirus pandemic

TLDR

The study aimed to evaluate patient experience using teledentistry during the COVID‑19 pandemic. A ten‑item, five‑point Likert questionnaire was administered to 52 patients across seven clinics to assess satisfaction, ease of use, effectiveness, reliability, and usefulness of teledentistry. All 52 respondents reported high satisfaction (97% virtual, 94% telephone), 96% would reuse the system, and the study concluded that teledentistry was well received and should be adopted to reduce transmission during recovery planning.

Abstract

Objective Evaluation of patient experience when utilising teledentistry during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods We designed a ten-item, five-point Likert-scale questionnaire assessing: 1) patient satisfaction; 2) ease of use; 3) the effectiveness including increasing access to clinical services; 4) reliability of the teledentistry system; and 5) usefulness for patients. Fifty-two patients completed the survey and data was analysed. Results We had a 100% response rate with 52 surveys completed over seven clinics. Patients that used the virtual clinic and telephone consultation had 97% and 94% satisfaction with their experience, respectively. All respondents agreed or strongly agreed with statements indicating that the teledentistry system would be very useful in saving time and a substantial proportion (96%) would use this system again in light of COVID-19. Conclusion Our study has shown positive patient experiences towards the use of teledentistry in all five domains. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers should consider adapting patient pathways and using telehealth as a method of consultation in the recovery planning of services, as well as to reduce the spread of this highly transmissible disease.