The therapeutic relationships, empathy, and satisfaction in teleconsultation for substance use disorders: Better or worse than in-person consultation?

Abstract Context: Telemedicine has become one of the essential modes of healthcare delivery. Different aspects of the physician–patient relationship during tele and in-person consultation need to be studied. Aims: This study aimed to compare perceived empathy and therapeutic relationship between tele and in-person consultation and assess the patient’s satisfaction during teleconsultation for substance use disorder (SUD). Methodology: We consecutively recruited 100 adult patients with SUD, registered to the tele-addiction service between June and September 2020, and experienced both video and