Exploring parental experiences of virtual paediatric neurodevelopmental consultations

OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus pandemic resulted in dramatic changes and challenges to healthcare practices. We endeavoured to establish the experiences of families of children attending a neurodevelopmental service after a transition to virtual consultations. METHODS: Anonymous questionnaires were posted to parents of children registered in virtual clinics over a 10-week period. RESULTS: Thirty parental questionnaires were completed. Parents reported a very high level of satisfaction (8.2/10) with previous face-to-face clinic appointments and virtual consultations (8.2/10). Individual aspects of virtual consultations received very positive ratings. Overall, 77% of parents highlighted a future preference for a combined service of both virtual and face-to-face consultations. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the high level of parental satisfaction with the service, but especially satisfaction with the unplanned transition to virtual clinics. Virtual clinics cannot replace the holistic approach gained from face-to-face consultations; however, we identified their benefits of convenience and accessibility for our vulnerable population. In response, we have developed an integrated outpatient service involving both forms of consultation to potentiate satisfaction and adapt to meet the needs of our patients. The suggested proforma that has been developed offers a simple structure for undertaking a virtual consultation that can be adapted to different specialities, integrating the suggestions provided by our service users.