Patient Acceptance of Telemedicine in Urogynecology Consultations – A Cross-Sectional Study Performed at a Brazilian Public Institution

Abstract Objective To evaluate the acceptance of telemedicine and determine its associated factors in an urogynecology outpatient clinic of a public hospital in Brazil. Methods The present was a cross-sectional study performed between June and November 2020. The included patients had their elective appointments postponed due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The variables considered regarding the acceptance of telemedicine were: urogynecologic diagnosis, age, level of schooling, place of residence, access to the internet, type of device used, frequency of internet use, and use of social media platforms. The categorical variables were described by their absolute and relative frequencies. The association among variables was evaluated through the Fisher exact test, and univariate and multivariate analyses, considering the acceptance of telemedicine as the dependent variable. Results A total of 225 patients were listed, and 182 agreed to participate. The mean age was 59 years old, 81.3% of the patients had access to the internet, and 87.3% of them accepted telemedicine. There were statistically significant associations regarding the acceptance of telemedicine and high levels of schooling (p< 0.01), internet access (p< 0.01), daily use of the internet (p< 0.01), access through personal mobile phone (p< 0.01), and access through the participant's own residence (p< 0.01). In the univariate and multivariate analyses, only high levels of schooling were associated with the acceptance of telemedicine (Adjusted odds ratio: 4.82; 95% confidence interval = 1.59–14.65). Conclusion Most of the urogynecology patients of a public hospital in a developing country accepted telemedicine. Internet access and level of schooling were the factors associated with the acceptance of telemedicine in urogynecology.