Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health Care
BackgroundAlthough a great number of teleconsultation services have been developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, studies assessing usability and health care provider satisfaction are still incipient. ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the development, implement...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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JMIR Publications
2022-12-01
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| Series: | JMIR Medical Informatics |
| Online Access: | https://medinform.jmir.org/2022/12/e37591 |
| _version_ | 1797734471741472768 |
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| author | Milena Soriano Marcolino Clara Sousa Diniz Bruno Azevedo Chagas Mayara Santos Mendes Raquel Prates Adriana Pagano Thiago Castro Ferreira Maria Beatriz Moreira Alkmim Clara Rodrigues Alves Oliveira Isabela Nascimento Borges Magda César Raposo Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis Maria Cristina Paixão Leonardo Bonisson Ribeiro Gustavo Machado Rocha Clareci Silva Cardoso Antonio Luiz Pinho Ribeiro |
| author_facet | Milena Soriano Marcolino Clara Sousa Diniz Bruno Azevedo Chagas Mayara Santos Mendes Raquel Prates Adriana Pagano Thiago Castro Ferreira Maria Beatriz Moreira Alkmim Clara Rodrigues Alves Oliveira Isabela Nascimento Borges Magda César Raposo Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis Maria Cristina Paixão Leonardo Bonisson Ribeiro Gustavo Machado Rocha Clareci Silva Cardoso Antonio Luiz Pinho Ribeiro |
| author_sort | Milena Soriano Marcolino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
BackgroundAlthough a great number of teleconsultation services have been developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, studies assessing usability and health care provider satisfaction are still incipient.
ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the development, implementation, and expansion of a synchronous teleconsultation service targeting patients with symptoms of COVID-19 in Brazil, as well as to assess its usability and health care professionals’ satisfaction.
MethodsThis mixed methods study was developed in 5 phases: (1) the identification of components, technical and functional requirements, and system architecture; (2) system and user interface development and validation; (3) pilot-testing in the city of Divinópolis; (4) expansion in the cities of Divinópolis, Teófilo Otoni, and Belo Horizonte for Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais faculty and students; and (5) usability and satisfaction assessment, using Likert-scale and open-ended questions.
ResultsDuring pilot development, problems contacting users were solved by introducing standardized SMS text messages, which were sent to users to obtain their feedback and keep track of them. Until April 2022, the expanded system served 31,966 patients in 146,158 teleconsultations. Teleconsultations were initiated through chatbot in 27.7% (40,486/146,158) of cases. Teleconsultation efficiency per city was 93.7% (13,317/14,212) in Teófilo Otoni, 92.4% (11,747/12,713) in Divinópolis, and 98.8% (4981/5041) in Belo Horizonte (university campus), thus avoiding in-person assistance for a great majority of patients. In total, 50 (83%) out of 60 health care professionals assessed the system’s usability as satisfactory, despite a few system instability problems.
ConclusionsThe system provided updated information about COVID-19 and enabled remote care for thousands of patients, which evidenced the critical role of telemedicine in expanding emergency services capacity during the pandemic. The dynamic nature of the current pandemic required fast planning, implementation, development, and updates in the system. Usability and satisfaction assessment was key to identifying areas for improvement. The experience reported here is expected to inform telemedicine strategies to be implemented in a postpandemic scenario. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:44:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b0e7fd0e28ac4fbd98849101be1e91bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2291-9694 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T12:44:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | JMIR Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JMIR Medical Informatics |
| spelling | doaj.art-b0e7fd0e28ac4fbd98849101be1e91bb2023-08-28T23:28:54ZengJMIR PublicationsJMIR Medical Informatics2291-96942022-12-011012e3759110.2196/37591Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health CareMilena Soriano Marcolinohttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4278-3771Clara Sousa Dinizhttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-4054-8049Bruno Azevedo Chagashttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-8571-3135Mayara Santos Mendeshttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5170-3564Raquel Prateshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7128-4974Adriana Paganohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3150-3503Thiago Castro Ferreirahttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0200-3646Maria Beatriz Moreira Alkmimhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-4241-1866Clara Rodrigues Alves Oliveirahttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9437-2344Isabela Nascimento Borgeshttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-9684-9353Magda César Raposohttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-3082-9015Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reishttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6374-9295Maria Cristina Paixãohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6276-9865Leonardo Bonisson Ribeirohttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9035-0722Gustavo Machado Rochahttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-8255-1559Clareci Silva Cardosohttps://orcid.org/0000-0003-0689-1644Antonio Luiz Pinho Ribeirohttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0364-3584 BackgroundAlthough a great number of teleconsultation services have been developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, studies assessing usability and health care provider satisfaction are still incipient. ObjectiveThis study aimed to describe the development, implementation, and expansion of a synchronous teleconsultation service targeting patients with symptoms of COVID-19 in Brazil, as well as to assess its usability and health care professionals’ satisfaction. MethodsThis mixed methods study was developed in 5 phases: (1) the identification of components, technical and functional requirements, and system architecture; (2) system and user interface development and validation; (3) pilot-testing in the city of Divinópolis; (4) expansion in the cities of Divinópolis, Teófilo Otoni, and Belo Horizonte for Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais faculty and students; and (5) usability and satisfaction assessment, using Likert-scale and open-ended questions. ResultsDuring pilot development, problems contacting users were solved by introducing standardized SMS text messages, which were sent to users to obtain their feedback and keep track of them. Until April 2022, the expanded system served 31,966 patients in 146,158 teleconsultations. Teleconsultations were initiated through chatbot in 27.7% (40,486/146,158) of cases. Teleconsultation efficiency per city was 93.7% (13,317/14,212) in Teófilo Otoni, 92.4% (11,747/12,713) in Divinópolis, and 98.8% (4981/5041) in Belo Horizonte (university campus), thus avoiding in-person assistance for a great majority of patients. In total, 50 (83%) out of 60 health care professionals assessed the system’s usability as satisfactory, despite a few system instability problems. ConclusionsThe system provided updated information about COVID-19 and enabled remote care for thousands of patients, which evidenced the critical role of telemedicine in expanding emergency services capacity during the pandemic. The dynamic nature of the current pandemic required fast planning, implementation, development, and updates in the system. Usability and satisfaction assessment was key to identifying areas for improvement. The experience reported here is expected to inform telemedicine strategies to be implemented in a postpandemic scenario.https://medinform.jmir.org/2022/12/e37591 |
| spellingShingle | Milena Soriano Marcolino Clara Sousa Diniz Bruno Azevedo Chagas Mayara Santos Mendes Raquel Prates Adriana Pagano Thiago Castro Ferreira Maria Beatriz Moreira Alkmim Clara Rodrigues Alves Oliveira Isabela Nascimento Borges Magda César Raposo Zilma Silveira Nogueira Reis Maria Cristina Paixão Leonardo Bonisson Ribeiro Gustavo Machado Rocha Clareci Silva Cardoso Antonio Luiz Pinho Ribeiro Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health Care JMIR Medical Informatics |
| title | Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health Care |
| title_full | Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health Care |
| title_fullStr | Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health Care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health Care |
| title_short | Synchronous Teleconsultation and Monitoring Service Targeting COVID-19: Leveraging Insights for Postpandemic Health Care |
| title_sort | synchronous teleconsultation and monitoring service targeting covid 19 leveraging insights for postpandemic health care |
| url | https://medinform.jmir.org/2022/12/e37591 |
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