A Medical Student-Run Telehealth Primary Care Clinic During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Maintaining Care for the Underserved.
J Prim Care Community Health
; 13: 21501319221114831, 2022.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35920022
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
In this report, we outline our approach to implementing a hybrid in-person and virtual clinic model at a student-run free clinic (SRFC) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals of low socioeconomic status (SES) are at an increased risk for COVID-19 infection and severe clinical outcomes. It is unclear if telehealth is a viable continuity of care enabler for the underserved.METHODS:
The Weill Cornell Community Clinic (WCCC) implemented a novel telehealth clinic model to serve uninsured patients in May 2020. A phone survey of was conducted to assess WCCC patients access to technology needed for telehealth visits (eg, personal computers, smartphones). Patient no-show rates were retrospectively assessed for both in-person (pre-pandemic) and hybrid continuity of care models.RESULTS:
The phone survey found that 90% of WCCC patients had access to technology needed for telehealth visits. In the 8 months following implementation of the hybrid model, telehealth and in-person no-show rates were 11% (14/128) and 15% (10/67) respectively; the combined hybrid no-show rate was 12% (24/195). For comparison, the in-person 2019 no-show rate was 23% (84/367). This study aligns with previous reports that telehealth improves patient attendance.CONCLUSION:
Literature on the transition of SRFCs from in-person to telehealth care delivery models is limited. At the WCCC, the reduction in no-show rates supports the feasibility and benefits of adopting telehealth for the delivery of care to underserved patient populations. We believe the hybrid telehealth model described here is a viable model for other student run free clinics to increase access to care in low SES communities.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Students, Medical
/
Telemedicine
/
Student Run Clinic
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
J Prim Care Community Health
Year:
2022
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States