Patient Satisfaction with Telehealth Consultation for Reduction Mammaplasty

Goals/Purpose: Telemedicine is a rising technology that has allowed for healthcare access to populations with social barriers to traditional care. Recent interest in telemedicine has increased in the setting of the COVID-19 pandemic as healthcare systems investigate ways to provide adequate care while protecting patients and workers from unnecessary infectious exposure. Although some institutions have offered telemedicine for perioperative care and recorded good outcomes, few have studied its role in plastic surgery as the initial consultation nor assessed patient satisfaction in a systematic way. The goal of this study was to evaluate the perspective of patients presenting for reduction mammaplasty using telemedicine for initial consultation.

Methods/Technique: Video telehealth visits with a physician assistant were conducted using the Amwell telehealth platform (Boston, MA) and consisted of a full history, patient counseling, and referrals to physical therapy and mammography as needed. An in-person follow-up visit with the senior author was subsequently completed for pre-operative examination. Following the visit, patients were asked a standardized set of 16 questions assessing their satisfaction with key aspects of their visit, 10 of which comprise the satisfaction with medical team module of the Body-Q questionnaire and the other 6 were specific to the telehealth aspect of the visit.

Results/Complications: 21 women were surveyed after their telehealth consultation, occuring between November 2020 and May 2021. Mean age was 35.33 years (range 20-62 years). Fifty-seven percent of patients were white, 29% were black, and 14% were Hispanic or other. The average score on the satisfaction with medical team module of the Body Q was 94.38 (range 38-100). When asked specifically about their satisfaction with telehealth consultation, 95.4% of patients responded "definitely agree" that their privacy was protected and that they could communicate effectively with their provider. Ninety percent responded "definitely agree" that they had a thorough evaluation and 90.5% responded "definitely agree" that all of their questions and concerns were addressed. With regard to the technology, 76.2% definitely agreed that the technology was easy to use. Overall, 85.7% stated that they "definitely agree" that they were satisfied with their care.

Conclusion: Reduction mammaplasty patients are generally satisfied with multiple aspects of their initial consultation when conducted via telemedicine. This modality represents a viable way to increase safe access to expert counseling for patients seeking reduction mammaplasty.