180 Chapter 8 participants reported that physical infertility appointments were converted to telephone consultations, and 4% reported conversion to video consultations. Of the endometriosis patients, 67% reported that physical appointments were adjusted to telephone consultations, while 3% of patients had appointments changed to video consultations. Of the healthcare providers, 83% reported that one or more of their physical appointments had been changed to a telephone consultation and 39% reported conversion to video consultations. For both infertility and endometriosis patients, healthcare providers spent a median time of 15 min on telephone consultations and 20 min on video consultations. The evaluation of virtual care methods by infertility patients, endometriosis patient and healthcare providers is shown in Figure 2. During the lockdown, telephone consultations and video consultations were seen as good alternatives for physical appointments. For the future, both telephone consultations and video consultations were thought to be useful additions to physical appointments. Telephone consultations were not seen as good replacements for future physical appointments by the majority of respondents. On video consultations as a replacement for future physical appointments, respondents were more positive, but still not truly convinced. Endometriosis patients in particular still preferred a physical appointment (six respondents). Figure 2. Evaluation of virtual care options by infertility patients, endometriosis patients and their healthcare providers. ‘Good alternative’ refers to the situation during the pandemic; ‘Good addition’ and ‘Good replacement’ refer to consultations in the time after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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