Nurse practitioner satisfaction with in-person versus telehealth chronic care delivery.

Background: The widespread use of telehealth and regulatory changes that enhanced nurse practitioner (NP) practice authority because of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic offers an opportunity to assess postpandemic NP satisfaction with telehealth care delivery and perceptions of its feasibility compared with in-person visits.
Purpose: Outpatient chronic care delivery satisfaction and preference were compared among NPs who provide care to adults through in-person and/or telehealth visits and examined NP demographic and clinical characteristics associated with overall satisfaction by care delivery type.
Methodology: Data were collected using a cross-sectional, descriptive design through online dissemination of The Care Delivery Satisfaction Survey to a nationally representative sample of 586 NPs.
Results: Compared with NPs using both visit types to deliver care, NPs delivering care in-person only had significantly lower satisfaction scores for interpersonal manner ( p = .0076) and communication ( p = .0108). NPs using telehealth only had significantly higher overall satisfaction and satisfaction subscale scores (all p < .01) compared with NPs using both visit types. Overall, 77% of NPs using both visit types preferred in-person delivery.
Conclusions/implications: NPs delivering telehealth care only were more satisfied with chronic care delivery than NPs using both delivery types. NPs using both types were more satisfied with interpersonal manner and communication compared with NPs delivering in-person care only. Most NPs using both types preferred in-person care delivery. Given increased telehealth use, health systems, academic institutions, and insurance companies can use these study findings to inform policy on telehealth resources and infrastructure.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: Dr. S.O. Ibemere is part of an advisory board for bluebird bio for which she received honoraria; receives salary support from the NHLBI/Augusta University; and serves as a consultant for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (Sickle Cell Disease Nursing Bootcamp). Dr. S. Silva has no conflicts of interest to declare related to this manuscript. Dr. M.L. Affronti received funding from TeSera to conduct an investigator-initiated Phase II Study, is member of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) Antiemetic study group, and is on the 2023 Antiemetic Guideline Consensus Committee (Chairs of the Patient Antiemetic Guideline committee; Member of Integrative/Nonpharmacological Antiemetic Guideline committee) without financial compensation. Dr. M.L. Affronti is on the 2023 Society for Neuro-Oncology Board Directors serving as the only advanced practice nurse to represent allied health, which includes nurse practitioners and receives no financial compensation. Dr. R. Masese receives salary support from the NHLBI. Dr. P. Tanabe is a consultant for CSL Behring and received funding for salary support from the NHLBI.
(Copyright © 2023 American Association of Nurse Practitioners.)