Teleconsultation Services and User Satisfaction in Post-Operative Recovery and Follow-Up Monitoring in South African Rural Hospitals

Post-operative recovery in rural South African hospitals is often hindered by a lack of specialist input due to geographic constraints. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including a structured questionnaire survey administered to hospital staff and patients. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistical models to assess user satisfaction levels. Users reported high satisfaction with teleconsultation services (85% on average), particularly in terms of timely access to specialist advice and reduced travel time for follow-up visits. Teleconsultation services significantly improved post-operative care coordination and patient outcomes by enhancing communication between rural hospitals and specialized medical facilities. Further implementation should consider the integration of teleconsultation with existing electronic health records systems for seamless data exchange and improved service delivery. Treatment effect was estimated with logit(pᵢ)=β₀+β^ Xᵢ, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.