| Convenience and flexibility for patients |
• Patients could be observed at a time of their choosing, including early morning or evenings, fitting with lifestyle and cultural needs.• Chosen call time delivered reliably; patients did not need to wait.• Patients could initiate a video observation when they were ready.• Patients could change the time of the observation at the last minute.• Patients could move the videophone to another location whenever they chose. |
| Acceptability for patients |
• Rapport with the nurses developed via video contact.• Patients had a positive regard for the technology.• The technology was regarded as very easy to use.• Staff and some patients thought the videophone service was more private than an in-person service. Two patients expressed privacy concerns. |
| Efficiency for RDNS SA |
• Many more patients could be seen in a shift than with a drive-around service.• The service could be initiated rapidly, without technical support. |
| Technical problems were manageable |
• Substantial and ongoing problems with video call quality were very frustrating. The call centre nurses learned to manage most of these themselves.• Occasional whole of system failures were also managed. |
| Increased patient adherence |
• More convenient scheduling was regarded as improving patient adherence.• Absent patients could be readily called back repeatedly.• Patients who had difficulty taking all their tablets at once could be called in stages.• The potential to cheat over the videophone was noticed and protocols instituted to minimize this. |
| Improved liaison between RDNS SA and the Chest Clinic |
• Increased communication about patients occurred.• The Chest Clinic initiated education of call centre nurses• Joint protocol development was undertaken. |
| Supported by the Chest Clinic |
• More patients were referred to RDNS SA for direct observation.• The Chest Clinic encouraged other hospitals to also refer to the videophone service. |
