COVD-26. TELEPHONE CONSULTATIONS IN NEURO-ONCOLOGY DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: LEVELS OF PATIENT SATISFACTION AND COMPARISON WITH TRADITIONAL FACE-TO-FACE CONSULTATIONS

Abstract INTRODUCTION Controversy exists as to whether telephone clinics are appropriate in neurosurgical-oncology. The COVID-19 pandemic forced neuro-oncology services worldwide to re-design and at the University Hospitals Birmingham UK, telephone clinics were quickly implemented in select patients to limit numbers of patients attending hospital. It was important to determine how these changes were perceived by patients. METHODS A 20-question patient satisfaction questionnaire was distributed to patients who attended neuro-oncology clinic in person (“face-to-face”), or via the telephone. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine significance, which was set at p< 0.05. RESULTS Eighty questionnaires were distributed between June 2020 and August 2020. Overall, 50% (n=40) of patients returned the questionnaire, 50% (n=23) of face-to-face and 50% (n=17) telephone patients. Of those who received telephone consultations, 88% (n=15) felt the consultation was convenient, 88% (n=15) were satisfied with their consultation and 18% (n=3) felt they would have preferred to have a face-to-face appointment. Of those who attended clinic in person, 96% (n=22) felt their consultation was convenient, 100% (n=23) were satisfied with their consultation and 13% (n=3) would have preferred a telephone consultation. Within the face-to-face clinic attendees, only 13% (n=3) were concerned regarding the COVID risk associated with attending hospital. There was no significant difference in patient convenience or satisfaction (p=0.565 and p=0.174 respectively) between face-to-face and telephone clinics. There was no significant difference in whether patients would’ve preferred the alternative method of consultation (p > 0.999). CONCLUSION Our study suggests that careful patient selection for neuro-oncology telephone clinic is not inferior to face-to-face clinic. Telephone clinic during COVID-19 pandemic proved to be convenient, safe and effective. This global health crisis has transformed telephone neuro-oncology consultations from an experimental innovation into established practice and should be continued beyond the pandemic in select cases.

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Effect of Face-to-Face and Multimedia Methods of Education on Children’s Constipation Severity

Journal of Client-centered Nursing Care ◽

10.32598/jccnc.7.4.389.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 303-310

Author(s):

Sajjad Pirooz-arjmandi ◽

◽

Mahbobeh Sajadi ◽

Akram Bayati ◽

Nooshin Sajadei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Functional Constipation ◽

Training Group ◽

Educational Interventions ◽

T Test ◽

Exact Test ◽

Face To Face ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Face ◽

Constipation Severity ◽

The Mean

Background: Constipation is a common problem among children. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of face-to-face and multimedia education on the severity of functional constipation in children. Methods: It was a two-group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental study that was carried out at the Specialized Clinics of Pediatrics affiliated with the Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran. The sample consisted of 96 eligible children in the age range of 6 to 12 years that were randomly assigned to face-to-face (n=48) and multimedia (n=48) groups. Functional constipation was detected by Rome ΙΙΙ criteria. Data were collected by a demographic characteristics form and the Constipation Assessment Scale (CAS) before intervention and one month later in both groups. In the face-to-face group, education was provided using two 15-min training sessions in the form of a lecture in the presence of the mother. The multimedia training group received a 15-min training video. Both groups were given a pamphlet. The data were analyzed by Fisher’s exact test, independent t-test, and paired t-test using SPSS version 16. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups’ constipation severity before the intervention (P=0.12). There was a significant difference between the mean score of constipation severity between the face-to-face (P=0.01) and multimedia (P=0.001) groups before and after the intervention. However, the mean±SD score of constipation severity after the intervention was 7.05±1.79 in the face-to-face group and 5.91±1.69 in the multimedia group (p=0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that both educational interventions reduced the severity of constipation in children. However, multimedia training was more effective than face-to-face education so that it reduced the severity of constipation to a greater extent.

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Telephone versus face-to-face neuro-oncology consultations: comparing patient satisfaction, convenience, family support and clinician attitude during the COVID-19 pandemic

Neuro-Oncology ◽

10.1093/neuonc/noab195.033 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. iv14-iv14

Author(s):

Emma Toman ◽

Claire Goddard ◽

William Garratt ◽

Frederick Berki ◽

Zenab Sher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Family Member ◽

Telephone Consultation ◽

Face To Face ◽

Oncology Service ◽

Level Of Satisfaction ◽

Number Of Patients ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Remote Consultations

Abstract Aims During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, to limit the number of patients attending hospital, the neuro-oncology department selected a large number of appointments to be conducted via the telephone. This project aimed to determine how patients and clinicians perceived telephone consultations in the neuro-oncology service compared to traditional face to face appointments. Method A 20-question patient satisfaction survey combined quantitative and qualitative questions and was distributed between June and August 2020. These were distributed by email to 88 patients who attended neuro-oncology clinic in person ("face-to-face"), or by telephone. Concurrently, a 15-question survey was distributed to all clinicians conducting telephone and face-to-face consultations for the neuro-oncology service. Questions included in the clinician survey were designed to mirror the patient satisfaction questionnaire where possible. Fisher's exact test was used to determine significance, which was set at p< 0.05. Results 51.1% (n=45) of patients returned the questionnaire. Of those who received telephone appointments, 89.5% (n=17) felt the consultation was convenient, 94.7% (n=18) were satisfied and 80.0% (n=16) were able to have a family member/friend present. Of those who attended face-to-face appointments, 96.0% (n=24) felt their consultation was convenient, 100% (n=25) were satisfied and 87.5% (n=21) were able to have a family member/friend present. There was no significant difference in patient convenience, satisfaction or family/friend presence (p=0.395, p=0.432 and p=0.498 respectively) between face-to-face and telephone clinics. Overall, the clinicians reported undertaking a mean of 9.5 telephone consultations per week. Only 42.8% (n=3) use telephone appointments for first-time neuro-oncology consultations, whereas 100.0% (n=7) use them for results and follow-up appointments. Only 51.7% (n=4) felt that undertaking telephone consultations is convenient and 42.8% (n=3) have experienced difficult situations with patients during telephone consultation. Conclusion This project suggests that neuro-oncology telephone consultations provide patients with the same level of satisfaction and convenience as face-to-face appointments. We have also demonstrated that using the telephone does not provide a significant barrier to having family or friends present to support the patient. We have shown that clinicians are universally utilising neuro-oncology telephone appointments for follow-up and results whereas much fewer use the telephone for performing initial consultations. Given the high-level of satisfaction demonstrated in the patient questionnaires this reflects effective patient-selection for remote consultations. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced oncology services to evolve and results of this project suggest that telephone neuro-oncology consultations are widely accepted by patients and clinicians. We therefore propose that remote consultations should continue beyond the pandemic in select cases.

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P071 Survey of rheumatology patient satisfaction with telephone consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Rheumatology ◽

10.1093/rheumatology/keab247.069 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 60 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

Mia Rodziewicz ◽

Terence O'Neill ◽

Audrey Low

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Physical Examination ◽

Management Plan ◽

Service Development ◽

Telephone Consultation ◽

Face To Face ◽

Communication Difficulties ◽

Strongly Agree ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background/Aims Rheumatology departments were required to switch rapidly from face-to-face (F2F) to remote consultations during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK. We conducted a patient satisfaction survey on the switch to inform future service development. Methods All patients [new (NP), follow-up (FU)] were identified between 1st to 5th June 2020. Patients who attended or did not attend (DNA) a pre-booked F2F consultation or cancelled were excluded. Of the remainder, half the patients was surveyed by phone using a standardised questionnaire and the other half was posted the same questionnaire. Both groups were offered the opportunity to complete the survey online. Patients were surveyed on the organisation and content of the consultation, whether they were offered a subsequent F2F appointment and future consultation preference. Results 233 consultations were scheduled during the study period. After 53 exclusions (34 pre-booked F2F, 16 DNA, 3 cancellations), 180 eligible consultations were surveyed (85 via mailshot, 95 by telephone). 75/180 patients (42%) responded within 1 month of the telephone consultation (20 NP, 47 FU, 8 missing). The organisation of the switch was positively perceived (Table). Patients were highly satisfied with 4 of the 5 consultation domains but were undecided whether a physical assessment would have changed the outcome of the consultation (Table). After the initial phone consultation, 7 of 20 NP and 19 of 47 FU were not offered subsequent F2F appointments at the clinicians’ discretion. Of those not offered subsequent F2F appointments, proportionally more NP (3/7, 43%) would have liked one, compared to FU (5/19, 26%). Reasons included communication difficulties and a desire for a definitive diagnosis. 48/75 (64%) would be happy for future routine FU to be conducted by phone “most of the time" or "always”; citing patient convenience and disease stability. Caveats were if physical examination was required or if more serious issues (as perceived by the patient) needed F2F discussion. Conclusion Patients were generally satisfied with telephone consultations and most were happy to be reviewed again this way. NPs should be offered F2F appointments for first visits to maximise patient satisfaction and time efficiency. P071 Table 1:Median age, yearsFemale; n (%)Follow-up; n (%)All eligible for survey; n = 18056122 (68)133 (74)Sent mailshot; n = 855459 (69)65 (76)Surveyed by phone; n = 955663 (66)68 (72)Responder by mail; n = 166911 (69)13 (82)Responder by phone; n = 525437 (71)34 (65)Responder by e-survey; n = 7495 (71)UnknownOrganisation of the telephone consultation, N = 75Yes, n (%)No, n (%)Missing, n (%)Were you informed beforehand about the phone consultation?63 (84)11 (15)1 (1)Were you called within 1-2 hours of the appointed date and time?66 (88)6 (8)3 (4)Domains of the consultation, N = 75Strongly disagree, n (%)Disagree, n (%)Neutral, n (%)Agree, n (%)Strongly agree, n (%)Missing, n (%)During the call, I felt the clinician understood my problem3 (4)1 (1)1 (1)20 (27)49 (65)1 (1)During the call, I had the opportunity to ask questions regarding my clinical care1 (1)02 (3)16 (21)55 (73)1 (1)A physical examination would have changed the outcome of the consultation16 (21)18 (24)20 (27)11 (15)10 (13)0The clinician answered my questions to my satisfaction2 (3)06 (8)18 (24)49 (65)0At the end of the consultation, the clinician agreed a management plan with me3 (4)2 (3)6 (8)24 (32)39 (52)1 (1)Future consultations, N = 75Never, n (%)Sometimes, n (%)Most of the time, n (%)Always, n (%)Missing, n, (%)In the future, would you be happy for routine FU to be conducted by phone?5 (7)20 (27)16 (21)32 (43)2 (3) Disclosure M. Rodziewicz: None. T. O'Neill: None. A. Low: None.

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Investigating the Impact of EFL Students’ Misuse of Prosodic Features on their Face-to-face Interactions from University Instructors’ Perspectives

UKH Journal of Social Sciences ◽

10.25079/ukhjss.v5n1y2021.pp50-64 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 50-64

Author(s):

Bahram Sattar Abdulrahman

Keyword(s):

Kurdistan Region ◽

Prosodic Features ◽

Face To Face ◽

Iraqi Kurdistan ◽

University Instructors ◽

The Face ◽

Efl Students ◽

The University ◽

The Impact ◽

Special Classes

The present study aims at investigating the use of prosodic features by Kurdish EFL undergraduates in their face-to-face interactions inside/outside the classroom from the university instructors’ perspectives. The study hypothesizes that the majority of Kurdish EFL undergraduates are not fully aware of the fact that any misuse of prosodic features would probably affect the emotions, feelings, and attitudes that the face-to-face interaction is intended to convey. Building on an analysis of a questionnaire given to 54 university instructors at 10 Iraqi Kurdistan Region different universities, the study concludes that the majority of problems the students face can be related to the misuse of stress, intonation, and other prosodic features. Therefore, EFL instructors should pay more attention to make students learn how to use prosodic features and enable them to send messages adequately while engaging in face-to-face interactions. This would require special classes about prosodic features so that EFL students can overcome the misuse they have in face-to-face communication. This is inevitable because accuracy and fluency in communication require EFL students to master both features: segmental and suprasegmental. The reason behind this necessity could be attributed to the fact that broken and/or incorrect pronunciation can be considered as one of the most prominent factors behind misunderstandings in communication.

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RECORDS MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN GHANAIAN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS: A CASE STUDY OF GHANA TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

UDS International Journal of Development ◽

10.47740/503.udsijd6i ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 461-472

Author(s):

S. Ameyaw ◽

A. Frempong-Kore

Keyword(s):

Management Practices ◽

Records Management ◽

Student Records ◽

Tertiary Institutions ◽

Face To Face ◽

University College ◽

Data Collection Instrument ◽

The Face ◽

Admission Office ◽

The University

This study was conducted to ascertain records management practices at the Ghana Communications Technology University (formerly Ghana Technology University College) a mid-sized Ghanaian public university located in Accra. All the staff at the Admissions and Records departments participated in the study. This comprised two (2) heads of department and seven (7) senior staff from both departments. The face-to-face interviews were employed as a data collection instrument for this study. The findings indicated that the University has neither a policy to regulate the management of students' records nor a professional archivist to manage records. However, the head of the Records office was given a three-day training on the assumption of office. It was revealed that the head of admissions, as well as all the staff of the two departments, had never been given any training. There were some challenges impeding records management in the Admissions and Records offices– among them are; lack of adequate staff, inadequate storage equipment, lack of periodic training, lack of policy to guide records management and inability of students to furnish the Admission office with the needed information. It was recommended that the University should employ a professional archivist to manage student records, provide adequate storage facilities, organise periodic training for staff as well promulgate a policy to guide records management in the Admissions and Records offices. Keywords: Accra Campus, Records, Management, Practices, Ghana Communication Technology University

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Methodology of Specialist Physicians Training: From Traditional to e-Learning

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17207681 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (20) ◽

pp. 7681

Author(s):

Juan Chaves ◽

Antonio A. Lorca-Marín ◽

Emilio José Delgado-Algarra

Keyword(s):

Life Support ◽

Medical Training ◽

Advanced Life Support ◽

Sample Volume ◽

Mixed Methodology ◽

Face To Face ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Face ◽

E Learning ◽

The Impact

Different studies show that mixed methodology can be effective in medical training. However, there are no conclusive studies in specialist training on advanced life support (ALS). The main objective of this research is to determine if, with mixed didactic methodology, which includes e-learning, similar results are produced to face-to-face training. The method used was quasi-experimental with a focus on efficiency and evaluation at seven months, in which 114 specialist doctors participated and where the analysis of the sociodemographic and pre-test variables points to the homogeneity of the groups. The intervention consisted of e-learning training plus face-to-face workshops versus standard. The results were the performance in knowledge and technical skills in cardiac arrest scenarios, the perceived quality, and the perception of the training. There were no significant differences in immediate or deferred performance. In the degree of satisfaction, a significant difference was obtained in favour of the face-to-face group. The perception in the training itself presented similar results. The main limitations consisted of sample volume, dropping out of the deferred tests, and not evaluating the transfer or the impact. Finally, mixed methodology including e-learning in ALS courses reduced the duration of the face-to-face sessions and allowed a similar performance.

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Constructivism in Synchronous and Asynchronous Virtual Learning Environments for a Research Methods Course

International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments ◽

10.4018/jvple.2011070104 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2 (3) ◽

pp. 50-63 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Kenneth David Strang

Keyword(s):

Research Methods ◽

Educational Psychology ◽

Virtual Learning ◽

Methods Course ◽

Academic Outcome ◽

Face To Face ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Face ◽

Student Grades ◽

Teaching Modality

Virtual learning is a popular teaching modality, and it has been reported in research that there is no significant difference in academic outcome as compared with face-to-face courses. Not all researchers agree with this assertion and some claim it is more difficult to teach math-oriented subjects online. Given that educational psychology theories are effective for teaching quantitative topics in the face-to-face modality, this study proposes and tests methods for virtual learning. Constructivism learning theory is applied using knowledge management principles to teach an online masters-level research methods course at an Australian university. Asynchronous and synchronous tools are used in the VLE, and contrasted in a controlled experiment. The hypothesis is student grades will be significantly higher when the constructivist instructional method is applied to the synchronous VLE.

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The Impact of Medical Scribes on Patient Satisfaction in an Academic Otolaryngology Clinic

Annals of Otology Rhinology & Laryngology ◽

10.1177/0003489419884337 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 129 (3) ◽

pp. 238-244 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Katherine R. Keefe ◽

Jessica R. Levi ◽

Christopher D. Brook

Keyword(s):

Patient Satisfaction ◽

Wait Times ◽

Exact Test ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Press ◽

Patient Responses ◽

Student’S T ◽

Survey Responses ◽

Medical Scribes ◽

The Impact

Objectives: Evidence shows that scribes can improve provider efficiency and satisfaction in several settings, but is mixed on whether scribes improve patient satisfaction. We studied whether scribes improved patient satisfaction in an academic otolaryngology clinic. Methods: The authors performed a retrospective review of patient responses to the Press Ganey survey between 12/2016 and 12/2017. Their responses about satisfaction with the provider and wait times were examined. Three providers worked with scribes during this year; each spent six months with a scribe and six without. The authors compared survey responses from periods with and without scribes using the Fischer exact test. Average overall provider ratings were compared using the Student’s t-test. Results: A total of 87 patients filled out Press Ganey surveys for the 3 providers over the year: 54 for visits without scribes, and 33 for visits with scribes. Fischer exact analysis demonstrated no significant difference in satisfaction with providers and wait times for both individual providers and all providers combined (all P > .05). There was also no difference in patients’ likelihood of recommending the provider’s office ( P = .91). Overall provider rating (0-10 scale) was high without scribes (9.48 ± 1.06) and was unchanged by the presence of scribes (9.53 ± 0.8) ( P = .97). Conclusion: Patient satisfaction with wait times and providers was high overall and was not affected by the presence of a medical scribe.

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Visual Literacy Intervention for Improving Undergraduate Student Critical Thinking of Global Sustainability Issues

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su122310209 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (23) ◽

pp. 10209

Author(s):

Sarah E. Krejci ◽

Shirma Ramroop-Butts ◽

Hector N. Torres ◽

Raphael D. Isokpehi

Keyword(s):

Critical Thinking ◽

Academic Success ◽

Visual Literacy ◽

Environmental Science ◽

Literacy Intervention ◽

Face To Face ◽

Science Courses ◽

Global Sustainability ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Face

The promotion of global sustainability within environmental science courses requires a paradigm switch from knowledge-based teaching to teaching that stimulates higher-order cognitive skills. Non-major undergraduate science courses, such as environmental science, promote critical thinking in students in order to improve the uptake of scientific information and develop the rational decision making used to make more informed decisions. Science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM) courses rely extensively on visuals in lectures, readings and homework to improve knowledge. However, undergraduate students do not automatically acquire visual literacy and a lack of intervention from instructors could be limiting academic success. In this study, a visual literacy intervention was developed and tested in the face-to-face (FTF) and online sections of an undergraduate non-major Introduction to Environmental Science course. The intervention was designed to test and improve visual literacy at three levels: (1) elementary—identifying values; (2) intermediate—identifying trends; and (3) advanced—using the data to make projections or conclusions. Students demonstrated a significant difference in their ability to answer elementary and advanced visual literacy questions in both course sections in the pre-test and post-test. Students in the face-to-face course had significantly higher exam scores and higher median assessment scores compared to sections without a visual literacy intervention. The online section did not show significant improvements in visual literacy or academic success due to a lack of reinforcement of visual literacy following the initial intervention. The visual literacy intervention shows promising results in improving student academic success and should be considered for implementation in other general education STEM courses.

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Changing treatment paradigms in the era of targeted therapies.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2014.32.4_suppl.518 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 32 (4_suppl) ◽

pp. 518-518

Author(s):

Philipp Marius Papavassilis ◽

Edwin Herrmann ◽

Laura-Maria Krabbe ◽

Lothar Hertle ◽

Martin Boegemann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Targeted Therapy ◽

Rank Test ◽

P Value ◽

Line Treatment ◽

New Agents ◽

Exact Test ◽

Significant Survival ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The University

518 Background: Our goal was to describe the change of treatment paradigms for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) since targeted therapy became available in 2006. Methods: In this cohort population study we retrospectively investigated all mRCC patients who were treated with targeted therapy between 06/2006 and 06/2012 in the Department of Urology of the University of Münster. To distinguish nominal variables Fisher's exact test was used, in other respects Pearson's χ² test. For metrical variables the Mann-Whitney-U-Test was used. The log-rank test was chosen to derive differences between two or more groups with regard to survival. A p value <0,05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 50/158 (31.6%) patients with a median follow-up of 362 days were initially treated with immunotherapy. The most often used second line treatment after immunotherapy was sorafenib (29 patients, 58.0%). As first line treatment sunitinib was chosen most frequently (68 patients, 63.0%). There was no statistically significant difference in survival between the patients who were treated with immunotherapy and those who were not (572 vs. 554 days, p=0,745). 134 (84.4%) patients received cytoreductive nephrectomy before systemic treatment start. Comparing the survival curves there was a significant survival benefit in favor of nephrectomized patients (632 vs. 169 days, p<0,0001). Conclusions: After introduction of the new agents treatment paradigms have changed substantially. Immunotherapy is used only rarely. Cytoreductve nephrectomy should continue to be regarded as standard treatment.

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