Text message reminders may be a solution to do away with virtual waiting rooms in telehealth appointments, according to a new study from researchers at UC San Diego Health, Science Daily reported June 1.
The study, published in Quality Management in Health Care, enrolled 22 patients from a stroke clinic in the 10-week study in which patients could opt-in to receiving a text when their physician was available to talk online along with a link to the virtual meeting. The results showed that no patients were seen late, while over half of them were seen early, resulting in a 55-minute time saving in operations.
"The reality is that wait times and lack of timely communication both correlate with patient experience," said Emily Perrinez, RN, MSN, a co-author of the study. "Real-time text notification that the provider is ready improved patient satisfaction and this experience is the kind of feedback we love to see."
UC San Diego Health plans to expand these telehealth options across high-volume primary care and surgical centers this summer.