Use of virtual visits for the care of the arrhythmia patient

Background: Virtual visits (VVs) are a modality for delivering health care services remotely through videoconferencing tools. Data about patient and physician experience in using VVs are limited.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess patient and physician experience with the use of VVs in cardiac electrophysiology.

Methods: We performed a prospective survey of cardiac electrophysiology patients and physicians who participated in an outpatient VV from December 2018 to July 2019.

Results: One-hundred consecutive VVs were included. Sixty-four patients elected to complete a survey. Patients rated their experience as either excellent/very good in scheduling a VV (87%), seeing their physician of choice (100%), transmitting arrhythmia data (88%), rating their physician's ability to communicate (98%), asking all questions (98%), rating the level of care received (98%), paying for the cost of a VV (67%), and rating their overall level of satisfaction (98%). Thirty-eight of 64 patients (59.4%) preferred a VV for their next visit, 12 of 64 (18.8%) preferred an in-office visit, 13 of 64 (20.3%) responded that their decision for a virtual or office visit depended on indication, and 1 of 64 (1.6%) had no preference. A total of 14 cardiac electrophysiologists participated in 100 VVs. Nine visits were not included due to technical difficulty. Physician responses to survey questions were rated as excellent/very good in the ability to communicate (92%), accessing monitoring data (95%), and overall level of satisfaction (98%).

Conclusion: In our small study population, most patients and physicians prefer VVs. Convenience, cost, and reason for follow-up were important determinants that affected both patient and physician preference.