Improving uptake of telemedicine (phone/video consult): methods and lessons learnt

Telemedicine can improve care delivery through reducing clinic wait-time, improving accessibility to specialist care, minimising cross-infection risk at patient's convenience. Despite these benefits, telemedicine uptake remained low within our gastroenterology department, with only four teleconsultations conducted in 6 months prior to this project's conceptualisation. This quality improvement (QI) project aimed to improve telemedicine utilisation within our department by 20% over a 3-month period. Surveys conducted during the planning phase identified key barriers to telemedicine adoption, including high clinic load, concerns over medicolegal issues and unfamiliarity with data security protocols. To address these issues, a multistakeholder QI team introduced several key measures, including streamlining telemedicine workflow, providing clinician training and implementing patient educational posters. These interventions successfully increased the adoption of telemedicine (median 8 (IQR 2.5) vs 31 (IQR 13) teleconsultations per month, p<0.01) over the intervention period, with 84% of patients reporting positive experiences. Additionally, this project reduced carbon emissions, saving approximately 3446 kg of CO2, equivalent to 388 gallons of gasoline. This QI project highlights the potential for telemedicine to enhance healthcare delivery while promoting environmental sustainability. Key lessons include the importance of structured workflows and stakeholder engagement to overcome barriers. Future interventions should aim to refine telemedicine pricing models and expand the initiative to other departments within the hospital to ensure long-term sustainability.