Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via Telephone

Background: The use of telemedicine can contribute to patient satisfaction, support hygienic concepts by avoiding physical contact when not required, and reduce waiting and travel time. We aimed to evaluate our recently implemented telemedical approach of remote pre-anesthesia assessment. Methods: W...

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Main Authors: Armin Langauer, Gernot Gerger, Sabine Völkl-Kernstock, Maria Kletecka-Pulker, Nikolaus Graf, Aylin Bilir, David M. Baron
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mary Ann Liebert 2025-01-01
Series:Telemedicine Reports
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Online Access:https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0067
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author Armin Langauer
Gernot Gerger
Sabine Völkl-Kernstock
Maria Kletecka-Pulker
Nikolaus Graf
Aylin Bilir
David M. Baron
author_facet Armin Langauer
Gernot Gerger
Sabine Völkl-Kernstock
Maria Kletecka-Pulker
Nikolaus Graf
Aylin Bilir
David M. Baron
author_sort Armin Langauer
collection DOAJ
description Background: The use of telemedicine can contribute to patient satisfaction, support hygienic concepts by avoiding physical contact when not required, and reduce waiting and travel time. We aimed to evaluate our recently implemented telemedical approach of remote pre-anesthesia assessment. Methods: We designed a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with remote pre-anesthesia assessment procedures, completeness of understanding, and technical feasibility. In total, 250 patients were asked to voluntarily complete the questionnaire after their pre-anesthesia assessment via telephone. Digital anesthesia records were subsequently reviewed for unexpected events and complications to investigate the quality and safety of the approach. Results: Patients included in our study were 51 years old (median, range 18–85 years), mostly female (58%) and had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of 1–3 (22.8%, 56.4%, and 20.8%, respectively). Patient satisfaction was high with ratings of “very good” or “good” in over 90% of all questions related to the pre-anesthesia assessment via telephone. Patient’s evaluation for the use of telemedicine in general also showed a wide acceptance with 84.4% rating the idea as “very good” (55.6%) or “good” (28.8%). Duration of patient-physician interaction positively correlated with age (p = 0.005) and ASA status (p = 0.003). Upon review of the digital anesthesia records, there were no intraoperative complications or unexpected events related to the remote pre-anesthesia assessment. Conclusion: Remote pre-anesthesia assessment via telephone is safe, technically feasible, and satisfactorily accepted in selected patients. These results encourage the continuing implementation of telemedical approaches for pre-anesthesia assessment.
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spelling doaj-art-5a0b2287f5604c16bba014b30b74d28a2025-08-20T02:31:31ZengMary Ann LiebertTelemedicine Reports2692-43662025-01-0161273310.1089/tmr.2024.0067Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via TelephoneArmin Langauer0Gernot Gerger1Sabine Völkl-Kernstock2Maria Kletecka-Pulker3Nikolaus Graf4Aylin Bilir5David M. Baron6Department of Anaesthesia, Medical University of Vienna, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Vienna, Austria.Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Patient Safety, Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Vienna, Austria.Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Patient Safety, Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Vienna, Austria.Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Digital Health and Patient Safety, Ludwig Boltzmann Gesellschaft, Vienna, Austria.Department of Anaesthesia, Medical University of Vienna, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Vienna, Austria.Department of Anaesthesia, Medical University of Vienna, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Vienna, Austria.Department of Anaesthesia, Medical University of Vienna, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Medicine, Division of General Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Vienna, Austria.Background: The use of telemedicine can contribute to patient satisfaction, support hygienic concepts by avoiding physical contact when not required, and reduce waiting and travel time. We aimed to evaluate our recently implemented telemedical approach of remote pre-anesthesia assessment. Methods: We designed a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with remote pre-anesthesia assessment procedures, completeness of understanding, and technical feasibility. In total, 250 patients were asked to voluntarily complete the questionnaire after their pre-anesthesia assessment via telephone. Digital anesthesia records were subsequently reviewed for unexpected events and complications to investigate the quality and safety of the approach. Results: Patients included in our study were 51 years old (median, range 18–85 years), mostly female (58%) and had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status of 1–3 (22.8%, 56.4%, and 20.8%, respectively). Patient satisfaction was high with ratings of “very good” or “good” in over 90% of all questions related to the pre-anesthesia assessment via telephone. Patient’s evaluation for the use of telemedicine in general also showed a wide acceptance with 84.4% rating the idea as “very good” (55.6%) or “good” (28.8%). Duration of patient-physician interaction positively correlated with age (p = 0.005) and ASA status (p = 0.003). Upon review of the digital anesthesia records, there were no intraoperative complications or unexpected events related to the remote pre-anesthesia assessment. Conclusion: Remote pre-anesthesia assessment via telephone is safe, technically feasible, and satisfactorily accepted in selected patients. These results encourage the continuing implementation of telemedical approaches for pre-anesthesia assessment.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0067pre-anaesthesia assessmentpatient satisfactiontelemedicinepatient safety
spellingShingle Armin Langauer
Gernot Gerger
Sabine Völkl-Kernstock
Maria Kletecka-Pulker
Nikolaus Graf
Aylin Bilir
David M. Baron
Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via Telephone
Telemedicine Reports
pre-anaesthesia assessment
patient satisfaction
telemedicine
patient safety
title Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via Telephone
title_full Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via Telephone
title_fullStr Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via Telephone
title_full_unstemmed Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via Telephone
title_short Patient Satisfaction with Remote Pre-Anesthesia Assessment Via Telephone
title_sort patient satisfaction with remote pre anesthesia assessment via telephone
topic pre-anaesthesia assessment
patient satisfaction
telemedicine
patient safety
url https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0067
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