A comparative study of patient–physician empathy in telehealth and traditional in-person visits

Abstract

Background The rise of telemedicine has brought significant changes to patient care, especially regarding the experience of empathy and connection during consultations. Understanding how telemedicine compares to in-person visits in terms of patient–physician interactions and the perception of empathy is crucial for optimizing telehealth services. Objectives This study aims to compare patient–physician interaction ratings between telemedicine and in-person visits across the 10 items of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) measure. Additionally, it seeks to identify any significant differences in interaction ratings between male and female patients within these contexts. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 320 participants who had either telemedicine or in-person consultations. Participants were assigned to the telehealth or in-person group based on the type of consultation they experienced. The CARE measure was utilized to capture patient's perspective of the quality of the interaction. Statistical analyses were performed to compare the ratings between the two groups. Results The study found no significant differences in overall CARE measure ratings between telemedicine and in-person visits. However, male patients reported higher satisfaction with telemedicine on several items compared to in-person visits, whereas female patients showed no significant differences in their ratings. Conclusions Telemedicine is as effective as in-person visits in maintaining high-quality patient–physician interactions. The findings also suggest gender-specific preferences that could inform the optimization of telemedicine practices. Further research is recommended to explore these differences in more diverse populations.