Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased reliance on virtual care in the rehabilitation setting for patients with conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).Aims The aim of this study was to perform a quality improvement initiative to assess patient satisfaction and ens...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Canadian Journal of Pain |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24740527.2022.2063113 |
| _version_ | 1811336377362546688 |
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| author | Emma Loy Anna Scheidler Tara Packham Heather Dow Paul Winston |
| author_facet | Emma Loy Anna Scheidler Tara Packham Heather Dow Paul Winston |
| author_sort | Emma Loy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased reliance on virtual care in the rehabilitation setting for patients with conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).Aims The aim of this study was to perform a quality improvement initiative to assess patient satisfaction and ensure that outcomes following virtual assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS with prednisone are safe and effective.Methods An online survey was distributed to 18 patients with CRPS who had been seen virtually between March and December 2020 through a rehabilitation clinic and treated with oral prednisone. Thirteen participants completed the survey, which was designed de novo by our team to evaluate participant perceptions and satisfaction regarding the virtual care experience. Also included in the survey was a CRPS-specific validated patient-report questionnaire (Hamilton Inventory for CRPS: PR-HI-CRPS), which allowed participants to describe their specific symptoms and associated functional and psychosocial impacts, both previously (pretreatment baseline) and at the time of survey (posttreatment).Results CRPS symptoms and related impacts were scored as significantly improved from baseline following treatment with prednisone. Likert scale results from survey responses related to patients’ experiences and satisfaction with the virtual care process were analyzed; the majority of patients reported satisfaction with a virtual appointment for evaluation of CRPS, as well as with subsequent treatment decisions based on virtual assessment.Conclusions This quality improvement study suggests that virtual care is a potential option for a patient-accepted approach to overcoming challenges with in-person care imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and could help inform future considerations in addressing geographic and patient-specific disparities in access to specialist care for CRPS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:38:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-362225fafe1d4b4abeddafcad499d895 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2474-0527 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T17:38:36Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Canadian Journal of Pain |
| spelling | doaj.art-362225fafe1d4b4abeddafcad499d8952022-12-22T02:37:15ZengTaylor & Francis GroupCanadian Journal of Pain2474-05272022-12-0161778410.1080/24740527.2022.2063113Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPSEmma Loy0Anna Scheidler1Tara Packham2Heather Dow3Paul Winston4Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaFaculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, CanadaSchool of Rehabilitation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaCanadian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kingston, Ontario, CanadaDivision of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaBackground The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increased reliance on virtual care in the rehabilitation setting for patients with conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).Aims The aim of this study was to perform a quality improvement initiative to assess patient satisfaction and ensure that outcomes following virtual assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS with prednisone are safe and effective.Methods An online survey was distributed to 18 patients with CRPS who had been seen virtually between March and December 2020 through a rehabilitation clinic and treated with oral prednisone. Thirteen participants completed the survey, which was designed de novo by our team to evaluate participant perceptions and satisfaction regarding the virtual care experience. Also included in the survey was a CRPS-specific validated patient-report questionnaire (Hamilton Inventory for CRPS: PR-HI-CRPS), which allowed participants to describe their specific symptoms and associated functional and psychosocial impacts, both previously (pretreatment baseline) and at the time of survey (posttreatment).Results CRPS symptoms and related impacts were scored as significantly improved from baseline following treatment with prednisone. Likert scale results from survey responses related to patients’ experiences and satisfaction with the virtual care process were analyzed; the majority of patients reported satisfaction with a virtual appointment for evaluation of CRPS, as well as with subsequent treatment decisions based on virtual assessment.Conclusions This quality improvement study suggests that virtual care is a potential option for a patient-accepted approach to overcoming challenges with in-person care imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and could help inform future considerations in addressing geographic and patient-specific disparities in access to specialist care for CRPS.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24740527.2022.2063113complex regional pain syndromeCRPSvirtual carephysiatryphysical medicine and rehabilitationtelemedicine |
| spellingShingle | Emma Loy Anna Scheidler Tara Packham Heather Dow Paul Winston Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS Canadian Journal of Pain complex regional pain syndrome CRPS virtual care physiatry physical medicine and rehabilitation telemedicine |
| title | Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS |
| title_full | Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS |
| title_fullStr | Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS |
| title_full_unstemmed | Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS |
| title_short | Patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of CRPS |
| title_sort | patient satisfaction with virtual evaluation diagnosis and treatment of crps |
| topic | complex regional pain syndrome CRPS virtual care physiatry physical medicine and rehabilitation telemedicine |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/24740527.2022.2063113 |
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