Introduction Video consultations using the Attend Anywhere web platform were introduced into clinical practice in our tertiary paediatric gastroenterology centre during the COVID-19 pandemic as an alternative to face-to-face consultations. We analysed online feedback received from these consultations to understand our patients’ experience of virtual consultations and to identify areas of improvement.

Methods All patients scheduled for a paediatric gastroenterology video consultation were invited by the hospital Patient Experience Team to complete an online Survey monkey questionnaire at the end of the consultation. We retrospectively analysed feedback received from 01 February 2021 to 30 September 2021.

Results Over an eight-month period, 83 responses were received. In terms of accessibility, most patients (n=82, 99%) were able to access the virtual consultation without additional help. Most patients (n=81, 98%) saved at least 30 minutes in travel time and of these, 20 patients (24%) saved more than 3 hours of travel. 81 parents (98%) reported financial savings from not travelling to hospital, with 25 patients (30%) saving over £21.

29 patients (35%) found the virtual consultation experience to be significantly better or better than a previous face-to-face consultation. 51 patients (61%) reported it to be about the same, and only three (4%) reported it to be worse or significantly worse.

46 patients (56.1%) found video consultations less stressful compared to face-to-face consultations, while 29 (35%) reported no difference, and 5 (6%) found it more stressful.

77 patients (93%) were happy to have further follow-up appointments virtually, one patient was unhappy for further virtual appointments, and five (6%) did not know.

There was an opportunity for parents to enter free-text comments on their experience. In this, parents commented on how video consultations were convenient, timesaving and less disruptive to family life compared to face-to-face consultations. In addition, they saved the trouble of worrying about traffic, being late, parking delays and navigating in an unfamiliar city. Three parents also commented that having virtual consultations reduced the risk of contracting Covid-19.

Several suggestions were made to improve the experience. This included providing an option for a face-to-face appointment at the point the appointment was made, an indicator to inform patients of expected waiting times in the virtual waiting room and making it clearer who to contact for help if no health professional joined the call.

Compared to telephone consultations, parents/patients found video consultations more interactive especially for the child, as they could see the clinician and participate throughout the consultation instead of just listening in.

Conclusion Our study highlights the benefits of virtual consultations, including significant time and financial savings to families. Most families found virtual consultations a satisfactory alternative to face-to-face consultations. Inherent limitations to video consultations- the inability to physically examine patients, and challenges in building rapport with families through video- mean that not all patients will be suitable for video consultation. Overall, video consultations are a useful tool to deliver outpatient services during the pandemic and beyond. The option should be given to families and potential improvements to the service should be investigated.