Table 2.
Outcomes for patients choosing telephone versus telehealth
| Telephone | Video telehealth | Significance (P) | Adjusted significance (P)† | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 1188 (78.4%) | 327 (21.6%) | ||
| Subsequent appointments | ||||
| Follow‐up appointment within the study time period | 196 (16.5%) | 79 (24.2%) | 0.002 | 0.015 |
|
Chose alternative modality for next appointment‡ |
39 (19.9%) | 45 (57.0%) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Chose alternative telehealth mode (TP‐ > VC or VC‐ > TP)§ | 13 (33.3%) | 38 (84.4%) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| Chose face to face for next appointment¤ | 26 (66.7%) | 7 (15.6%) | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| ED presentations | ||||
| ED presentation during the study period | 118 (9.9%) | 18 (5.5%) | 0.013 | 0.165 |
| Cardiac reason for ED presentation during the study period¶ | 25 (21.2%) | 3 (16.7%) | 0.659 | 0.511 |
| Mortality | ||||
| All‐cause mortality during the study period | 12 (1.0%) | 2 (0.6%) | 0.505 | 0.806 |
| Cardiac mortality during study period†† | 4 (0.3%) | 1 (0.3%) | 0.931 | 0.759 |
Multiple regression performed to adjust for baseline differences of age, gender, English as first language, rural status, initial appointment status and cardiologist seen.
Of those who had a follow‐up appointment within the time period.
Of those who changed modality within the study period.
Denominator used for these variables is patients who had an ED presentation.
These deaths included four deaths of patients who utilised telephone consult, and one death of a patient who utilised VC. These cases were adjudicated by a panel of cardiologists. Three out of five deaths were deemed to be expected given the patient history and prognosis.
ED, emergency department; TP, telephone consultation; VC, video consultation.