What a doctor thinks during a telehealth video visit can change how patients feel about their doctor and their care, a new study finds.
Even if a doctor is located miles away from a regular in-person clinic or exam room, they need to appear to be there, the study suggests.
Even better, you might be sitting in your office with your diploma hanging behind you, or a photo of such an office as your virtual background. This is especially true if you have never seen a patient before, the study shows.
A home office with bookshelves or a solid color background are both acceptable to patients.
However, research shows that healthcare providers should use blurred or virtual backgrounds when conducting visits in a home environment with a kitchen or bed in the background.
The findings show that patients respond to seven different backgrounds behind a role model doctor, and how knowledgeable, trustworthy, caring, approachable, and professional the doctor is in each background. , from a survey that asked patients to rate how comfortable they felt with their doctor. .
They also asked that their background be considered during initial or follow-up visits with primary care or specialty health care providers.
Regarding this research, JAMA network openmore than 1,200 patients who saw a health care provider in one of the two health care systems completed the research survey, and the researchers compiled their responses.
Principal investigator Nathan Houchens is an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan and associate medical director of the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS). His past work on how interpersonal communication, including nonverbal factors such as clothing and posture, influences the patient-provider relationship led to new telemedicine research.
“Although the transition to virtual care was rapid and there was no specific guidance when the COVID-19 pandemic began, telemedicine appears to be here to stay and healthcare providers are “It's important to understand what patients prefer in terms of their environment,” said Houchens, a hospitalist who collaborated on the study with general internist Jennifer Meddings and others.
He said that during the first year of the pandemic, health care providers will conduct telemedicine visits outside of clinics when there is no need to go to the clinic to reduce the chance of transmission of COVID-19. He points out that he was encouraged to do so.
But some clinics now have dedicated spaces where providers can sit if they have telemedicine appointments on days when they are seeing patients in person. Virtual backgrounds can also help reduce visual distractions, as some of them may be spaces shared with other clinicians.
As the use of telemedicine increases and becomes the standard way to receive care, Houchens said there are some “webside etiquette” guidelines to guide healthcare providers on how to communicate verbally over a virtual connection. It states that guidance is proposed. However, there is little guidance on the background of video visits.
Houchens and his colleagues were surprised at the level of dislike patients had for kitchen and bedroom environments, with only 2% and 3.5% saying they preferred these backgrounds, compared to 35% of offices and 18% of doctors. 14% in the office, 14% on a solid color background, and 14% in the home with bookshelves and an exam room.He is about the same in the office.
There were also large differences in composite scores for how patients rated how each background felt about receiving care from their health care provider. The bedroom and kitchen backgrounds received much lower composite scores than any of her other five backgrounds.
Houchens and colleagues, including co-author Sanjay Saint, have previously published research on patient preferences for what doctors wear during clinical visits. Similar to the context of a video visit, these seemingly superficial elements can actually make a difference in the patient experience, he says.
“Patients have expectations for what their doctors should dress like and what their workplace should be like. This study shows that patients prefer clothing and environments that have traditionally been called traditional or professional. ” he says.
“Diplomas and certifications remind patients of the expertise required of a doctor, but something is lost when the background conveys a relaxed, informal home environment.”
The team is currently analyzing additional data from the same study to evaluate other factors that influence patients' telehealth experiences, such as access to high-speed internet and the ability to use the necessary technology.
But for now, they suggest health care providers can take immediate steps to conduct virtual visits from their offices or exam rooms. Clinics may want to make unused exam rooms available for use by providers conducting virtual visits on in-person days.
Another option is to create a virtual background reminiscent of a professional setting like this one.
Houchens also notes that he has not yet investigated what doctors think about a patient's background during video visits, but that these could provide useful information.
The rise of “hospitals at home” and home-based primary care means patients with more acute conditions may be able to see their health care providers virtually, and the setting may be more sensitive to how physical and social factors impact health. This means that it can provide clues as to whether it is fulfilling its role. .
Houchens points out that discussing visible elements from both provider and patient's virtual backgrounds, such as art or other hobby-related items, can also help build trust.
“This is a reminder that patients are often concerned about some of the details that health care providers and health systems may not emphasize,” he says. “It is important to remember that our words and non-verbal actions are remembered by those we care about, and we have a duty to care for them too. There is.”
sauce: University of Michigan
