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Objective The Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia rapidly implemented pulmonary telemedicine visits during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The feasibility, utility, and favorability of telemedicine visits for a wide range of pediatric pulmonary conditions were assessed. Methods Providers were sent a survey on May 8, 2020 to assess attitudes, perspectives, and favorability of pulmonary telemedicine visits based on their composite experiences since the conversion to telemedicine visits on March 24, 2020. A similar survey was sent to all patients who completed a pulmonary telemedicine visit from May 17, 2020 through June 12, 2020. Patient and provider survey responses about pulmonary telemedicine utility, benefits, limitations, and overall experience were analyzed. Results Overall, patients and providers expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the telemedicine experience, with 92% of patients and 72% of providers rating their telemedicine experience as excellent or very good. Both patients and providers were most interested in using telemedicine for regular follow-up visits and for sooner appointments. More than 70% of patients and 90% of providers indicated telemedicine was more convenient for patients compared to in-person clinic visits. All providers and 85% of patients who responded indicated interest in continuing telemedicine in the future. Conclusions This study demonstrates that telemedicine is a feasible and favorable method of healthcare delivery of pulmonary medicine for the full spectrum of conditions treated by pediatric pulmonary and sleep medicine specialists. This has important implications for the use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. |
