1. Telehealth Use by Age and Race at a Single Academic Medical Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Cohort Study.
- Author
-
Stevens JP, Mechanic O, Markson L, O'Donoghue A, and Kimball AB
- Subjects
- Academic Medical Centers statistics & numerical data, Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Boston epidemiology, Cohort Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pandemics, Retrospective Studies, SARS-CoV-2 isolation & purification, Young Adult, COVID-19 epidemiology, Racial Groups statistics & numerical data, Telemedicine methods
- Abstract
Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many ambulatory clinics transitioned to telehealth, but it remains unknown how this may have exacerbated inequitable access to care., Objective: Given the potential barriers faced by different populations, we investigated whether telehealth use is consistent and equitable across age, race, and gender., Methods: Our retrospective cohort study of outpatient visits was conducted between March 2 and June 10, 2020, compared with the same time period in 2019, at a single academic health center in Boston, Massachusetts. Visits were divided into in-person visits and telehealth visits and then compared by racial designation, gender, and age., Results: At our academic medical center, using a retrospective cohort analysis of ambulatory care delivered between March 2 and June 10, 2020, we found that over half (57.6%) of all visits were telehealth visits, and both Black and White patients accessed telehealth more than Asian patients., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that the rapid implementation of telehealth does not follow prior patterns of health care disparities., (©Jennifer P Stevens, Oren Mechanic, Lawrence Markson, Ashley O'Donoghue, Alexa B Kimball. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (https://www.jmir.org), 20.05.2021.)
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF