Evaluation of the Use of Telehealth Video Visits for Veterans With Chronic Pain.
Christine P Mathews, Sean Convoy, Leonie Heyworth and 1 others
PMID 35331651WHAT IT FOUND
Video visits in a VA pain clinic coincided with missed appointments dropping from 143 to 25 and 93.4% patient satisfaction, but pandemic timing and no control group mean causation is not established.
Key findings
01Nurse practitioner missed appointments were 143 of 1,493 visits before telehealth and 25 of 684 telehealth visits after, a reported 82.52% reduction.
02Among 329 travel-reimbursement-eligible patients, 489 video visits were estimated to eliminate 7,971 miles and $3,308.30 in reimbursement.
03Of 72 patient satisfaction surveys sent, 47 were returned, and 93.4% of respondents reported overall satisfaction with video visits.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The comparison was a single clinic before and during the pandemic, with no concurrent control group, so other changes may explain the results. The project could not examine patients physically, so it may not apply to new acute pain or unresolved chronic pain. Travel savings were estimated only for 329 reimbursement-eligible patients, and eligibility details such as pension income were not fully available, so actual savings could differ. Only 47 of 72 patient surveys were returned, and the paper notes 37% nonresponse, so satisfaction may be biased toward people who liked video visits. Only three nurse practitioners completed the provider survey, so provider views are not stable.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 82.52% reduction as proof that video visits caused fewer missed appointments. The comparison was before and during the pandemic with no control group, and the travel savings were estimated only for 329 eligible patients.