Table 4.

Themes, subthemes, and codes with relevant excerpts from post-consultation phase

Theme	Subtheme	Code	Verbatim
Advantage and disadvantage	Ease of communication[10]	Easy vs difficult communication[3]	Mr. S (Patient 13): “many things cannot be said openly in front of the wife. Also, there is no hesitation while talking through phone, but it is there in other way. Sometimes I hesitate to speak in front, and think, no, what am I doing?, but there is a difference in communicating through phone.” Mr. A (Patient 11): “On call, one cannot tell you that he’s facing so and so problems because of the medicines. I get very irritated on smallest of things and then I start getting angry if someone teases me but I often face difficulty in telling these on telephone.”
		Difficulty in detailed conversation[9]	Mr S (Patient 12): “In video care, the doctors ask us for the OPD card (photo) and then they ask what new problems we are facing and prescribe medicines. Hence, we can’t talk to the doctor much and may be they don’t have so much time that they can talk to us, But in OPD, the first question the Dr asks is, ‘Yes Sandeep, how are you?’. They ask everything, ‘What was the problem, why did it occur, what was the reason behind it?’ I mean, they ask every small detail.” Mrs N (Patient 8): “I communicate very well. All the doctors listen and respond me nicely. Once when I forget to take medicine, I requested him and he responded that ‘take these these medicines.’ So I didn’t see any difference even I am in house or in hospital”
	Physical examination and urine screen[4]		Mr C (Patient 3): “if I come then it would be easy to get check-up, to show test reports, urine screen if necessary etc. This can not be done on phone, you can tell about medicine only.” Mr P (Patient 9): “by looking at you doctor can understand 50% of your problems like tremors in hands. He asks questions then. On phone, he can miss also.”
	Patient is busy during consultation[8]		Mr. G (Patient 6): “Now we came, we know doctor has time and we too, but for phone we do not know at what time we will get the call. We may be busy, we may have less time,.…. phone comes suddenly, person may be at his relatives, or somewhere else, or one can be busy somewhere, that makes it difficult to talk.” Mr Y (Patient 15): “They call us but they do it according to that when they feel comfortable, then at that time we have some other work… half of our attention is in work and half on call, so we are not able to share our whole problem. Like now you are sitting physically, you can share everything.”
	Medication-related issues in TAC[2]	Non-availability of some medications[2]	Mr. G (Patient 5): “They said that some medicines can be provided only through in-person consultation; it is not possible to provide them on phone.….Kindly prescribe better medicines on phone, like buprenorphine, which I am getting here.” Mr. A (Patient 13): “like Arkamine, Ketorolac etc., provided by you all to manage withdrawal. You can’t prescribe any better medicine for heroin withdrawal through teleconsultation. Initially, it is difficult to take it as sometimes one consumes drugs with that medicine.”
		Difficulty in procuring medications[2]	Mr. B (Patient 2): “With telephonic prescription I often had difficulty to buy medicine from the shop, and continue it. The medicine shop asked for the proper prescription (hard copy), and denied to give medicine from the photo. This increased my difficulty”
Perceived appropriateness	Suitability of TAC	Suitable[8]	Mr. A (Patient 1): “Sir, if my condition is better, then I would prefer telephonic consultation. But, if the condition is worse, then would come to OPD.” Another patient Mr. S (Patient 14) felt “if I have to go to work, or when I don’t have much time to come to OPD, then I would prefer teleconsultation”
		Not suitable[9]	Mr. S (Patient 13): “If the medicines suits, then it is ok to get advice over the telephone sir. But, if it doesn’t suit, then I will consult you in-person and tell my problems.” Mr S (Patient 14) further expanded this idea: “If it seems a very emergency condition, then I would go there., by ‘emergency’, he meant ‘severe relapse, severe withdrawal symptoms, seizure, etc., or if there is significant family issues.” Mrs P (Patient 10): “if we want to talk very personally, even without family, then it would be better to come to PGI.”
Outcome retention		Improved outcome retention[5]	Mr. P (Patient 9): “Medication was not missed, did not drink again. There is no break in treatment, illness did not come back. In lockdown, everything was closed, would not get medicine otherwise, so telephonic treatment was helpful”
		Ensure punctuality[4]	Mr. Y (Patient 15): “there should be a separate time slot for teleconsultation for each patient, that at such a time one will get the call and the call should come at the pre-fixed time and patient should get suitable time for consultation.”
		Prior intimation[3]	Mr. C (Patient 4): “intimate the session by text or phone call, so that the person would be free by that time, and can prepare and memorize what needs to be discussed in the session.”
		Proactive contact[2]	Mrs P (Patient 10): “please contact and treat your patients who are not coming regularly for treatment, or those who haven’t come for the last six months through teleconsultation mode.”

TAC=Telemedicine-based addiction care