Telemedicine appointments are more likely to be completed than in-person healthcare appointments: a retrospective cohort study.
JAMIA Open
; 7(3): ooae059, 2024 Oct.
Article
de En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39006216
ABSTRACT
Objectives:
Missed appointments can lead to treatment delays and adverse outcomes. Telemedicine may improve appointment completion because it addresses barriers to in-person visits, such as childcare and transportation. This study compared appointment completion for appointments using telemedicine versus in-person care in a large cohort of patients at an urban academic health sciences center. Materials andMethods:
We conducted a retrospective cohort study of electronic health record data to determine whether telemedicine appointments have higher odds of completion compared to in-person care appointments, January 1, 2021, and April 30, 2023. The data were obtained from the University of South Florida (USF), a large academic health sciences center serving Tampa, FL, and surrounding communities. We implemented 11 propensity score matching based on age, gender, race, visit type, and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI).Results:
The matched cohort included 87 376 appointments, with diverse patient demographics. The percentage of completed telemedicine appointments exceeded that of completed in-person care appointments by 9.2 points (73.4% vs 64.2%, P < .001). The adjusted odds ratio for telemedicine versus in-person care in relation to appointment completion was 1.64 (95% CI, 1.59-1.69, P < .001), indicating that telemedicine appointments are associated with 64% higher odds of completion than in-person care appointments when controlling for other factors.Discussion:
This cohort study indicated that telemedicine appointments are more likely to be completed than in-person care appointments, regardless of demographics, comorbidity, payment type, or distance.Conclusion:
Telemedicine appointments are more likely to be completed than in-person healthcare appointments.
Texte intégral:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Base de données:
MEDLINE
Langue:
En
Journal:
JAMIA Open
Année:
2024
Type de document:
Article
Pays d'affiliation:
États-Unis d'Amérique