Patient Experience and Acceptance of Telenephrology for Kidney Transplant Follow-Up: Experience From a Public Sector Tertiary Care Hospital in India

Background: Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) require frequent long-term monitoring, which can pose major geographic and economic challenges, particularly in public sector healthcare settings.We evaluated patient experience, perceived benefits, and barriers to telenephrology introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary referral center in India.Methods: This cross-sectional study included 100 KTRs selected by systematic sampling from recipients who had used telenephrology services between April and September 2020 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.A structured questionnaire assessing demographics, travel-related burden, direct and indirect costs of in-person consultations, and patient experience using a 5-point Likert scale was administered by telephone in the local language.Results: The mean patient age was 32.83 ± 9.96 years, and 92 (92%) were male.The median one-way distance to the hospital was 304.5 km (range: 6-1673 km), and 87 (87%) relied on public transport.Physical visits incurred a median cost of INR 3000 (range: INR 40-15,000); 57 (57%) participants reported productivity loss, and 47 (47%) stayed for four or more days near the hospital.During remote follow-up, 98 (98%) were confident expressing their concerns by telephone, and 99 (99%) rated their telenephrology experience 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale.The main perceived benefit was saving on travel, accommodation, and lost work time, reported by 79 (79%), while the most common limitation was the lack of physical presence of the doctor, reported by 22 (22%) participants.Following resumption of routine services, 97 (97%) participants preferred a combination of remote and in-person consultations.Conclusions: Telenephrology was well accepted by kidney transplant recipients who had used the service and was perceived to reduce the financial and logistical burden of transplant follow-up.Most participants nevertheless preferred a combination of remote and in-person consultations.These findings support telenephrology as an adjunct to, rather than a replacement for, in-person transplant care.