Satisfaction of Telehealth in Patients With Established Neuromuscular Disorders

Determine established neuromuscular disease patients' satisfaction with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. We received 50 completed Utah telehealth satisfaction surveys from a cohort of 90 from April 2020 to June 2020. Returning neuromuscular disease patients rated seven aspects from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree): Communication, timeliness of physician, picture quality, sound quality, protection of privacy, the comfort of the physical exam, the ease of healthcare, and whether patients would prefer "in-person" visits despite safety precaution. A favorable response was defined as a response of "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" to the survey questions. An independent -test, Fisher's or chi-square test were used to compare demographic factors on outcomes for each survey question. The average age was 47.54 ± 20.63, 54% were female, 70% from rural areas, 60% had family present "webside," and 14% had family present remotely. The majority of patients reported "Agree" or "Strongly Agree" to each survey question assessing their telehealth satisfaction, except for whether patients preferred in-person appointments. Demographic factors, including location and clinical diagnosis, did not influence survey responses. The vast majority of established neuromuscular disease patients responded favorably to their telehealth experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.