Patient-Level Factors Associated with Utilization of Telemedicine Services from a Free Clinic During COVID-19.
Telemed J E Health
; 28(4): 526-534, 2022 04.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34255572
ABSTRACT
Background:
Disparities in telemedicine use by race, age, and income have been consistently documented. To date, research has focused on telemedicine use among patients with adequate insurance coverage. To address this gap, this study identifies patient-level factors associated with telemedicine use during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic among one free clinic network's patients who are underinsured or uninsured.Methods:
Electronic health record data were reviewed for patient-level data on patients seen from March 2020 to September 2020. Patients were grouped by telemedicine use history. We controlled for sociodemographic factors (e.g., age, race/ethnicity) and comorbidities. Logistic regression analyses were conducted.Results:
Across 198 adult patients, 56.6% received telemedicine care. Of these, 99.1% elected for audio-only telemedicine instead of video telemedicine. Telemedicine use was more likely among those living within 15 miles of their clinic (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.70-11.53). It was less likely to be used by older patients (aOR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-1.00), patients of male sex (aOR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.18-0.92), and those establishing care as a new patient (aOR = 0.01, 95% CI 0.00-0.07).Conclusion:
The moderate usage of telemedicine suggests that its implementation in free clinics may be feasible. Solutions specific to patients with smartphone-only internet access are needed to improve the use of video telemedicine as smartphone-specific factors (e.g., data use limits) may influence the ability for underserved patients to receive video telemedicine.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Contexto em Saúde:
1_ASSA2030
/
4_TD
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Telemedicina
/
COVID-19
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Aspecto:
Implementation_research
Limite:
Adult
/
Humans
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Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Telemed J E Health
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article