452 - An Assessment of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of 'Attend Anywhere' Orthodontic Clinics during COVID-19.

RJ Litt CM Hershaw A Brown.
Presented by: Rebecca Jane Litt
Royal Gwent Hospital

Introduction: We aimed to assess the efficiency of ‘Attend Anywhere’ virtual orthodontic clinics within a district general hospital during COVID- 19. Our secondary aim was to complete a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with virtual orthodontic appointments. Methods: The study design is a service evaluation including patient satisfaction questionnaire. The average number of patients seen per virtual clinic and the number of patients failing to attend was compared to face-to-face clinics. The capability of virtual appointments to be successful in preventing the need for a face-to-face appointment was assessed. Patients were invited to complete a telephone pilot questionnaire focusing on patient satisfaction and accessibility. Results: There was a small increase in the number of patients failing to attend virtual appointments, with a third of the patients who did not attend failing to receive the appointment link. 81.9% of virtual clinic appointments were successful in preventing the need for a face-to-face appointment. Overall patients were very satisfied with their virtual orthodontic appointment and the majority required no assistance to access the service. Conclusion: The use of ‘Attend Anywhere’ clinics in orthodontics offers patients and clinicians an effective and efficient alternative to face-to-face appointments that patients on average find easy to use and completely satisfactory.
Consent Statement: There are no details on individual patients reported within the abstract.

Poster