Telemedicine actually improves the quality of care and increases physician satisfaction in delivering that care, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York. We all remember when the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020 upended the comfort of our daily routines. Businesses were forced to adapt to limited ways of engaging with customers, with varied levels of success.
Lockdown posed a unique challenge for physicians: they couldn't meet with every patient in person. Telemedicine became not only an alternative but the best option for seeing patients in remote areas or where infection rates were high. New research involving Binghamton University's School of Management highlights a positive impact of that shift.
The study found that telemedicine enhances the quality of patient care as expected but also increases physician satisfaction in delivering that care. As pandemic restrictions have eased, researchers noted, telemedicine will likely continue to be a preferred option in the years to come. "Before the pandemic, face-to-face doctor's visits were a norm, and physicians used telemedicine sparingly, not widely considering it a mainstream practice.
This is true since most physicians were trained without exposure to telemedicine tools," said Sumantra Sarkar, the associate professor at SOM who worked on the study. "During pandemic times, they felt uncomfortable and overwhelmed by the need to learn new techniques and tools for providing telemedicine. .
