Authors (including presenting author) :
CT Pun, J Lo, CH Tam, CWH Mak, WKW Chan, MYD Kan
Affiliation :
Department of Surgery, Kwong Wah Hospital, Hong Kong
Introduction :
During COVID-19 pandemic, Hospital Authority introduced telehealth services via video conferencing on "HA Go" mobile application which encompasses medical consultations and rehabilitation support. As the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong accelerates the adoption of telehealth services, understanding patient acceptability is crucial for successful implementation.
Objectives :
This study evaluates patient satisfaction, acceptability, and the practical feasibility of video-based consultations in a local urology clinic.
Methodology :
A quantitative survey was administered to patients at the Kwong Wah Hospital urology clinic following their telehealth consultations between April 2024 to March 2025. The survey captured demographic information, disease characteristics, avoided sick leave, and travel time saved. Patient acceptability was assessed using the Chinese-validated Service User Technology Acceptability Questionnaire (C-SUTAQ). The telehealth consultation was deemed successful if no in-person follow-up was required within two weeks after the consultation.
Result & Outcome :
Seventy-four patients participated, with 95.9% expressing satisfaction with their telehealth experience. Mean scores (out of 6) were high across key domains: accessibility (4.90 ± 0.98), privacy and discomfort (5.20±0.94), satisfaction (5.58±0.66), care-personnel concern (5.15±0.98), enhanced care (4.93±1.01), and telecare as substitution (4.51±1.12). Telehealth consultations collectively saved approximately 104 hours of travel time and 30 days of work-leave. The success rate was 98.6%, with no significant associations found between acceptability scores and patient demographics, disease type, or travel time saved. These results suggest that digital competence and self-efficacy may be more influential in telehealth acceptance than traditional demographic factors. Telehealth consultations at the urology clinic were accepted by patients and clinically feasible, associated with a high satisfaction rate and significant time savings. These findings support the continued expansion of telehealth services within the Hospital Authority.
