Telehealth for obstetrics and gynecology outpatinets: Improving patients’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: Telehealth technology and its use are not new to the field of medicine in general and OB in particular. To reduce the potential risks, make telehealth more feasible, and reduce the costs associated with its rapid adoption, it is essential to establish high-quality, evidence-based procedures for OB services. Aims: This qualitative study explored patients’ experience of receiving obstetrics and gynecological treatment via telehealth. Methods: We adopted a qualitative design. We recruited 18 women receiving care at the obstetrics and maternal and fetal medicine clinics at UMass Memorial Medical Center, Massachusetts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data was analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Results: The participants’ experience of using telehealth services emerged from the data in three themes: the experience of using modern telehealth platforms, telehealth and its perceived benefits, and telehealth and its perceived challenges. Conclusion: The overall positive experiences and consistent perceived benefits reported by most participants suggest that telehealth can be an important tool in the healthcare delivery for certain patients and situations in a post-pandemic world. This study highlighted several challenges that need to be addressed for telehealth to achieve maximum effectiveness and functionality in the future.