JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a rapid scale up of telehealth services in Australia as a means to provide continued care through periods of physical restrictions. The factors that influence engagement in telehealth remain unclear.

Objective:

To understand the experience of Australian people who engaged in a telehealth consultation during the pandemic period 2020-2021 and the demographic factors that influence engagement.

Methods:

An online survey was distributed to Australians over 18 years old that included four questions on frequency and type of clinical consult (i.e. GP, specialist, allied health or nurse), one question on experience of telehealth, and two questions on quality of and satisfaction with telehealth. Statistical analysis included proportion of responses (of positive responses where a Likert scale was used) and regression analyses to determine effect of demographic variables.

Results:

Of the 1,820 participants who completed the survey, 88.3% had engaged in a healthcare consultation of some type in the previous 12 months, and 69.3% of those had used telehealth. The most common type of consultation was with a GP (86.1%). Older people were more likely to have had a healthcare consultation but less likely to have had a telehealth consultation. There was no difference in utilisation of telehealth between metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions, however people with a bachelor’s degree or above were more likely to have used telehealth and were more likely to report a positive experience. Eighty-seven percent of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they had received the information they required from their consultation, 71% agreed or strongly agreed that the outcome of their consultation was the same as it would have been face-to-face, 84% agreed or strongly agreed that the doctor or healthcare provider made them feel comfortable, and 83% agreed or strongly agreed that the doctor or healthcare provider was equally as knowledgeable as providers they have seen in person. Fifty-seven percent of respondents reported that they would not have been able to access their health consultation if it were not for telehealth. Sixty-nine percent of respondents reported that they were satisfied with their telehealth consultation and 60% reported that they would choose to continue to use telehealth in the future.

Conclusions:

There was a relatively high level of engagement with telehealth over the 12 months leading up to the study period, and the majority of participants reported a positive experience and satisfaction with their telehealth consultation. While there was no indication that remoteness influenced telehealth utilisation, there remains work to be done to improve access to older people and those with an educational background below a Bachelor’s degree.