Record Detail

Telephone and televideo have yielded equivalent patient satisfaction and psychosocial outcomes when compared to in-person
genetic counseling, yet little is known about how they compare to one another. In this randomized controlled trial, veterans
received genetic counseling via telephone or traveled to a clinic to participate via encrypted televideo. Knowledge and visit
satisfaction were assessed 2 weeks later. Travel time, mileage, and out-of-pocket costs were calculated for videoconferencing.
Qualitative interviews were conducted with patients and counselors to assess acceptability. Of the 20 male patients randomized to
telephone, 90% received counseling and provided outcomes; of the 18 randomized to televideo, 67% received counseling and
50% provided outcomes. Telephone patients answered a mean of 4.4 of eight questions correctly at baseline and 4.7 at follow-up;
televideo means were 5.6 and 6.5, respectively. Satisfaction was 25.2 out of 30 for telephone and 26.9 for televideo. Televideo
patients incurred a median of 2.8 h of travel time, 40 roundtrip miles, and $67.29 in costs. Patients and counselors found both
modes acceptable for providing education and answering questions. Although patients liked the flexibility of telephone, coun-
selors felt patients missed more appointments and were distracted when using telephone. A noted advantage of videoconferenc-
ing was reading body language. Further evaluation of alternative delivery modes is needed.