TY  - EJOU
AU  - Kampire, Happy Tahirih 
AU  - Cloutier, Jonathan 
AU  - Dallaire, Michel 
AU  - Plourde, Simon 
AU  - Labrecque, Michel 

TI  - Men prefer pre-vasectomy consultation by  telephone: a survey of vasectomized men
T2  - Canadian Journal of Urology

PY  - 2022
VL  - 29
IS  - 5
SN  - 1488-5581

AB  - <b>Introduction:</b> Due to the COVID-19 pandemic teleconsultation was allowed as an insured service in the province of Quebec, Canada. We assessed the preferences of vasectomized patients for a pre-vasectomy consultation conducted in-person or by telephone.<br/>
<b>Materials and methods:</b> In September 2021, we sought the participation of 214 men who had their pre-vasectomy consultation over the phone to complete an anonymous three-item survey on their preferred modality for pre-vasectomy consultation. They completed their questionnaire in the waiting room of the vasectomy clinic just after the surgical procedure. We calculated the proportion and 95% confidence interval [CI] of patients preferring each modality. We assessed the difference in preference according to the distance between hometown and vasectomy clinic (< 25 km, 25-50 km, and > 50 km) with Fisher’s exact test.<br/>
<b>Results:</b> Participation rate was 98% (n = 209/214). Most patients would have preferred telephone over in-person pre-vasectomy consultation if they had been given a choice (96%; 95% CI 92% to 98%), if they had had to recommend a modality to a friend (95%; 95% CI 91% to 98%), and if they had had to do a pre-vasectomy consultation again (prefer or no preference; total 97%; 95% CI 94% to 99%). Distance between hometown and vasectomy clinic did not significantly influence their preferences (p > 0.29 for each of the three items).<br/>
<b>Conclusions:</b> Vasectomized men preferred having pre-vasectomy consultation by telephone instead of in person. If maintained as an insured service after the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian physicians offering vasectomy services should consider making this service available to their patients.
KW  - vasectomy
KW  -  delivery of health care
KW  -  telemedicine
KW  -  patient preference
KW  -  health care surveys

DO  -