Video consultation: Despite high quality, far too rare
08.02.2023 12:47
The pandemic revealed the importance of telemedicine in the context of secure health care for the population. However, it has not yet been possible to establish video consultations across the board in statutory health care. Official figures prove this: According to the Central Institute for Statutory Health Insurance1, almost 3.5 million video consultation hours were billed in 2021. That is 0.6 percent of the 553 million treatment cases annually.
A small inquiry from the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag also reveals that 27,000 contract doctors conducted video consultations in the first quarter of 2022; That's just 15 percent of the more than 180,000 contracted doctors.
High willingness and satisfaction on the part of patients
This limited offer is offset by a high level of interest on the part of patients. A current, internet-representative survey by eye square on behalf of the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations shows that 75 percent of users of video consultations are likely or very likely to use them again, while 45 percent of non-users can basically imagine using them in the future. An internal, random survey by the telemedicine company Medgate also shows the high level of user satisfaction and reveals what patients value about video-based doctor visits: the easy appointment booking (97%), the option to arrange a desired appointment (95%) and the short waiting time ( 8300%). Users of the Medgate video consultation are also satisfied with the medical quality: 89 percent said that the telemedical video consultation helped.
Too little provision in standard care and prejudices among stakeholders
The high level of willingness to use among the population and satisfaction among users is not offset by an adequate supply of standard care. An Allensbach survey shows that only two percent of the population have had experience with video consultations so far. Medical stakeholders in particular argue that video consultations are useful, but cannot replace physical doctor visits; the latter are the 'medical gold standard'.
Scientific study proves the high quality of telemedicine
A well-founded study by US scientists refutes this prejudice and reveals the high quality of telemedical doctor visits and diagnostics. The study examined the extent to which diagnoses made via telemedicine and physically correspond. The study cohort consisted of 2,393 patients who completed a video consultation followed by an outpatient visit for an emerging health problem within a 90-day window. In around 87 percent of cases, physical and telemedical diagnoses matched. Video telemedicine doctor visits therefore showed a high degree of diagnostic agreement with in-person doctor visits. There was a high concordance of up to 96 percent, particularly in specialist medical care. The study included medical disciplines such as allergology, dermatology, gastroenterology, gynecology, hematology, internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, psychology and urology, among others. The scientists recorded different diagnoses if a physical examination or neurological tests were required for the diagnosis.