Survey findings reveal patient experience of remote consultations during COVID-19 pandemic

Most people with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis were satisfied with remote care and were happy to have more remote consultations, though this was not the case for everyone.

Back in summer 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we launched an online survey to ask people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis about their experiences of remote (phone and video) consultations. Between May and August 2020, 126 respondents completed the survey, with the findings used to create a top tips resource for preparing for a virtual consultation.

We are delighted that the findings have now also been published in a journal - Psychology, Health & Medicine. You can read a summary below.

Experiences of people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis with remote consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are long-term conditions needing regular care with continuity.

During the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, dermatology services switched to mostly remote consultations and little is known about patient attitudes and experiences of their use.

Staff and members of the Psoriasis Association UK developed an online survey to understand: patients’ experiences; ways clinicians can improve the patient experience; and how patients can make the most of remote consultations. The survey was open from 19th May until 19th August 2020.

126 people from across the UK with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis completed the survey. Most people were satisfied with remote care and were happy to have more remote consultations, though this was not the case for everyone.

Five main themes were identified from patient views: (1) Advantages of Remote Consultations; (2) Disadvantages of Remote Consultations plus the sub-themes (2.1) Practical Issues and (2.2) The Absence of Non-Verbal Cues and Emotions; (3) Serving a Purpose; (4) A ‘good’ Remote Consultation; and (5) Advice to Other Patients.

People preferred face-to-face consultations for physical examinations but saw some value in remote consultations for routine follow-up appointments. Participants felt that remote consultations did not encourage discussion about thoughts and feelings, or lifestyle behaviours, and they wanted more choice over the type of consultations offered to them. More skills training might help clinicians to discuss these psychological problems with patients within remote consultations.

Author list: Rachael M. Hewitt, Helen McAteer, Dominic Urmston, Julia Schofield and Chris Bundy.

You can read the full paper here.