1. Regional disparities in access to assisted reproductive technology: assessment of patient satisfaction when employing modern technology to close the gap
- Author
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Anna Gaidis, Sasha Mikhael, and Larisa Gavrilova-Jordan
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Geographic disparities ,Pregnancy Rate ,Reproductive Techniques, Assisted ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Office visits ,education ,Reproductive medicine ,Oocyte Retrieval ,Access to care ,Telehealth ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Patient satisfaction ,Pregnancy ,Genetics ,medicine ,Humans ,Birth Rate ,Assisted Reproduction Technologies ,Genetics (clinical) ,health care economics and organizations ,Reproductive health ,030219 obstetrics & reproductive medicine ,Assisted reproductive technology ,business.industry ,Reproduction ,Assisted reproduction ,Obstetrics and Gynecology ,Retrospective cohort study ,General Medicine ,Embryo Transfer ,Treatment Outcome ,Reproductive Medicine ,Patient Satisfaction ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Family medicine ,Female ,business ,Live birth ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Purpose Geographic disparities for assisted reproductive technology (ART) continue to exist. Travel cost and time off work may create additional barriers for patients living remotely. Implementing telehealth can alleviate these barriers by reducing office visits. The aim of this study was to evaluate patient satisfaction with telehealth during ART. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey and retrospective cohort study. Patients living remotely who underwent ART utilizing telehealth between 2015 and 2018 at a single institution were selected for the telehealth group. The non-telehealth control group included randomly selected patients who underwent IVF at the same institution between 2015 and 2018. Demographic variables and treatment outcomes were obtained for both groups. A patient satisfaction questionnaire was distributed to telehealth patients. Statistical analysis using χ2 test was performed to compare ART outcomes between both groups. Results Ninety-seven control and 97 telehealth patients were included. For telehealth patients, the mean number of office visits and distance traveled was 2.9 (± 0.8 SD) and 143.1 miles (± 49.2 SD) respectively. 58.8% of patients completed the survey. 44/57 participants had an oocyte retrieval and 42/44 underwent embryo transfer. For those who completed the survey, the clinical pregnancy rate was 31/44 and the live birth rate was 25/44. There was no difference in treatment outcomes between telehealth compared to controls. 73% of patients were highly satisfied with telehealth. Conclusions Telehealth can improve access to ART in underserved areas and results in high patient satisfaction. Reproductive health providers could consider telehealth as a safe and efficacious tool to ameliorate geographic disparities.
- Published
- 2020