UTILIZATION OF TELEMEDICINE BY PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Keywords: COVID-19, Telemedicine, Telehealth, Public Health
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 46

Abstract

Using a quantitative online survey, this study seeks to better understand how telemedicine has been utilized to provide continuity of healthcare for people with chronic health conditions during the first twelve months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this study examines accessibility of telemedicine, ease of use, and quality of care from the patient’s perspective, which is underrepresented in the literature.

The patients expected to benefit the most from telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic are individuals with chronic health conditions that put them at higher-risk of complications if infected with COVID-19 (Liu, 2020). Telemedicine helps limit the spread of COVID-19, but there are drawbacks to telemedicine care. These include technological barriers for patients, state licensing requirements, and health insurance (Weinstein, 2014; Tuckson, 2017; Triana, 2020).

An online survey in Qualtrics was developed and advertised in Facebook support groups for individuals with chronic health conditions. The survey consisted primarily of closed-response questions, which were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A quantitative content analysis was performed on the open-response questions (Krippendorff, 2013).

Preliminary results indicate that on average, respondents travel five times further to visit with specialist than with primary care providers. Most respondents felt communication with healthcare providers was extremely adequate in both telemedicine visits and in-person visits and most wish to continue utilizing telemedicine after the pandemic ends. As telemedicine is an emerging area of research, this study offers an important first step in understanding patients’ experiences, access and comfort with using telemedicine for the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.