Parent and provider satisfaction of telehealth in pediatric surgical subspecialty care: A systematic review

Introduction Telehealth is becoming an increasingly common presence in health care, particularly amidst the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We aimed to investigate ways in which telehealth has been implemented in pediatric surgical specialties, as well as the success and satisfaction rates of these interventions. Methods A systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines using PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL databases for telehealth and pediatric surgical specialties on August 20th, 2021. There were 1227 studies screened and 17 studies met final inclusion criteria for patient, parent/guardian, or physician satisfaction measures of a telehealth intervention in the United States. Results Studies implementing telehealth interventions included all major pediatric surgical subspecialties with a total of 2926 patients. Of the 17 studies, common themes were the use of telehealth for synchronous video and/or telephone virtual visits, including comparing virtual visits to in-person clinic visits (nine studies) and postoperative virtual visits (six studies). Telehealth was also used in the perioperative setting to deliver care instructions via mobile application or text message (two studies). Telehealth interventions had a high rate of parent satisfaction (75%-98%), and 57%-75% of parents stated they would choose or prefer virtual appointments in the future, often citing travel and cost savings as benefits. Provider satisfaction was also high with satisfaction scores ranging from 7.5 to 9.4/10. Discussion This systematic review suggests that both parent and physician satisfaction with telehealth in pediatric surgical specialties is generally high. Expanding telehealth applications allow greater access to care, particularly for specialized surgical services which often pose significant costs and travel burdens.