Patient Satisfaction with Virtual vs In-Person Voice Therapy.
Raluca Gray, Deirdre Michael, Jesse Hoffmeister and 5 others
PMID 35410780WHAT IT FOUND
Patients rated virtual voice therapy during the pandemic as highly as in-person visits before it.
Satisfaction was high for both formats, so virtual visits may be acceptable for patients who cannot attend in person.
Key findings
01Patient satisfaction did not differ between virtual voice therapy visits and in-person visits on any of the six questions or three themes evaluated.
02Likelihood of recommending the provider or clinic was very high in both cohorts, above 9 out of 10, with no difference.
03Among patients aged 18 to 44, those seen in person reported higher mean understanding of what to do after the visit than those seen virtually.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study compared pre-pandemic in-person visits with pandemic virtual visits, so changes in the pandemic context may have affected responses. Response rates were 32.7% for in-person and 30.6% for virtual, so respondents may not represent all patients. Some questions were answered by fewer patients, including only 38% in-person and 26% virtual for having enough say in care. The survey was anonymous, so diagnosis, socioeconomic status, phone versus video delivery, and other visit details could not be examined. Patients needed internet access to take part in virtual therapy and respond to the survey. The sample had limited racial diversity, so race could not be evaluated as a factor. Visit satisfaction is not the same as treatment outcome, and the study did not measure voice outcomes.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read comparable satisfaction as proof that virtual voice therapy produces the same voice outcomes as in-person therapy. This study measured visit satisfaction only, and the authors state satisfaction cannot be assumed equivalent to treatment outcomes.