Satisfaction with in-person and teleconsultationoutpatient care in breast cancer patients at aPeruvian cancer center

Abstract

Introduction: Teleconsultation involves the remote provision of health services by healthcare professionals using information and communication technologies. Objective: The objective of our study is to assess the satisfaction with in-person and teleconsultation outpatient care among breast cancer patients at a private Peruvian cancer center. Materials and methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 167 breast cancer patients during the Peruvian state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two instruments were applied: one for user satisfaction with in-person outpatient care and another for teleconsultation care. The SERVQUAL instrument was adapted for each type of care. An Aiken's V coefficient and a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.9 and 0.943 were obtained as validity and reliability measures for the instrument for both modes of care, respectively. A Google Forms document was sent via WhatsApp. The evaluation of the difference between the two modes of care was performed using the McNemar test. Results: A total of 167 patients were included. Most patients were female (89.22%) and aged between 45 and 59 years (55%). The main reason for consultation was to receive active systemic therapy (32.3%), and the most consulted specialty was medical oncology (82.4%). A total of 65.87% (n=110) of patients considered in-person care unsatisfactory, while 48.50% (n=81) considered teleconsultation care unsatisfactory (p<0.05). Conclusion: Both modes of care predominantly received unsatisfactory ratings. Despite this, patients reported higher satisfaction with teleconsultation outpatient care compared to in-person outpatient care.