Table 4.

Reasons for Patients’ and Surgeons’ Preferences for Clinic and Online Visits

Prefer Clinic	Prefer Online
Patient
Communication “prefer personal conversations” “easier to communicate, ask follow-up questions” “I like face-to-face”	Convenience “didn’t miss work” “quick and easy, perfect for busy people” “easy, less time consuming, and questions were addressed”
Confidence in self/online assessment “don’t trust myself to provide all the pertinent info, I don’t know what to look for” “I have more confidence with [my surgeon] eyeballing my wound than the ‘selfie’”	Decreased travel “less travel” “saves trip and time”
Surgeon
Exam needed “exam was necessary to address patient concern for recurrent hernia” “large seroma – needed counseling based on physical exam”	Perceived benefits to patient “patient lives 2 hours away and could have avoided postop visit” “excellent patient for online follow-up as she lives about 2 hours away”
Image quality “photo too magnified, did not give accurate representation of the situation” “photography was poor”	Image quality “good pictures”
Communication “in-person better for interpersonal communication, the patient appreciates interaction” “I made her laugh and feel better – that may be helpful for rapport later if she develops infection, recurrence, etc.”	Clinic logistics “my appointments were running late – patient had to leave then come back – very disruptive to his schedule – all could have been avoided with online visit”