Table 1.
Audit of virtual clinics.
| Item | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Clinic Data | ||
| Number of clinics | Total 200 | |
| Mode of communication | 100% telephone | |
| Duration of consultation | Not recorded | |
| Duration of preparation, running, and follow-up of virtual clinic | 0.5—12 h | |
| Average number of patients per week | 9–30 patients | |
| Total number of patients scheduled | 2019 | |
| Total number of patients attended | 1555 | |
| Clinic personnel | ||
| Lead nurse—years qualified | Range 7–36 years | |
| Lead nurse—highest qualification | 50% had masters | |
| Virtual clinics training | 0 | |
| MDT involvement | 75% had MDT involvement | |
| Patient support | ||
| Informal psychological support | 75% provided | |
| Referrals | 17 different services identified | |
| Patient satisfaction assessed | 25% informally assessed | |
| Resources | ||
| Nurses location | Variety of locations; outpatients department, office, nurse’s home | |
| Admin support | Not recorded. Estimates range 1–10 h | |
| Protected/scheduled time for virtual clinic | 66% | |
| Technical support used | Telephone/email/digital health records, | |
| Technical support desired | Access to reliable virtual platform for consultations Webcam/headset | |
Figure 1.
Documents supporting virtual clinics.
Table 2.
VCSQ Scores.
| N | Question how satisfied are you….? | Mean | SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Purpose of virtual clinic appointment was explained | 4.5 | 0.9 |
| 2. | Contacted in a timely manner | 4.49 | 0.93 |
| 3. | Diagnosis/treatment fully explained | 4.21 | 1.1 |
| 4. | Nursing/medical care/advice received | 4.41 | 0.98 |
| 5. | Duration of virtual clinic appointment | 4.42 | 0.96 |
| 6. | Technology used and ability to take part | 4.41 | 0.89 |
| 7. | Convenience of virtual clinic | 4.49 | 0.91 |
| 8. | Concerns/problems were addressed | 4.2 | 1.17 |
| 9. | To be treated through virtual clinic in the future | 4.16 | 1.2 |
| 10. | Access further nursing/medical advice | 4.27 | 1.08 |
| 11. | Overall satisfaction | 4.4 | 0.95 |
Table 3.
Difference between nurse-led and MDT clinics.
| Clinic type | n | Mean score | SD | Mann–Whitney U | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Purpose was explained | 9195 | 0.201 | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.53 | 0.96 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.48 | 0.88 | ||
| 2. Contacted in a timely manner | 9357 | 0.318 | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.48 | 1.07 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.49 | 0.89 | ||
| 3. Diagnosis/treatment explained | 9018 | 0.160 | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.35 | 1.02 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.17 | 1.13 | ||
| 4. Nursing/medical care/advice | 9512 | 0.471 | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.43 | 1.03 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.41 | 0.96 | ||
| 5. Duration | 8057 | 0.003** | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.68 | 0.70 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.35 | 1.02 | ||
| 6. Technology used and ability to take part | 7651 | 0.000*** | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.65 | 0.81 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.35 | 0.90 | ||
| 7. Convenience | 9635 | 0.579 | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.51 | 0.74 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.49 | 0.90 | ||
| 8. Concerns/problems were addressed | 8377 | 0.017* | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.44 | 1 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.14 | 1.20 | ||
| 9. Future | 8757 | 0.069 | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.37 | 1.04 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.1 | 1.20 | ||
| 10. Access further nursing/medical advice | 7787 | 0.001*** | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.57 | 0.93 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.18 | 1.11 | ||
| 11. Overall satisfaction | 9021 | 0.141 | |||
| Nurse-led | 75 | 4.52 | 0.88 | ||
| MDT | 266 | 4.37 | 0.97 |