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Equal Access to Telemedicine during COVID ‐19 Pandemic: A Pediatric Otolaryngology Perspective
- Source :
- The Laryngoscope, The Laryngoscope, vol 131, iss 5
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Objectives/hypothesisDuring the current COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for direct-to-home telemedicine services has risen to an unprecedented level. Equal access to specialty care was assessed to identify potential barriers that may negatively impact telemedicine utilization.Study designRetrospective case series.MethodsWe examined the 6-week period between March and May 2020 when the only access to nonurgent pediatric otolaryngology service was through telemedicine and compared it to in-person visits during the same period in 2019. We compared patient demographics, including age, gender, preferred language, zip code of residence, and primary insurance plan.ResultsA total of 1,495 visits were conducted through telemedicine from March 23, 2020 to May 1, 2020, and 1983 in-person visits were completed in 2019. There was no difference in patient age and gender. The proportions of Spanish-speaking families were similar (15.8% in 2019 vs. 14.4% in 2020, P = .96). The percentage of Medi-Cal-insured patients (51.4% in 2019 vs. 49.8% in 2020, P = .73) and the mean poverty level (12.6% in 2019 vs. 12.2% in 2020, P = .38) also remained the same. Spanish-speaking families were statistically more likely to require rescheduling of their telemedicine visits (17.2%) when compared to the overall rescheduling rate of 11.9% (P = .0083).ConclusionsWe were able to successfully provide access to telemedicine services to our vulnerable populations during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine is likely to remain an essential mode of delivering patient care going forward. It is important to evaluate and identify potential disparities to telemedicine access and proactively implement changes to address these barriers.Level of evidence4. Laryngoscope, 131:1175-1179, 2021.
- Subjects :
- Male
Telemedicine
medicine.medical_specialty
020205 medical informatics
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Clinical Sciences
Specialty
Rural Health
02 engineering and technology
California
Health Services Accessibility
Otolaryngology
03 medical and health sciences
access
0302 clinical medicine
Clinical Research
COVID‐19
030225 pediatrics
Original Reports
Pandemic
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
Humans
Medicine
Preschool
Child
Retrospective Studies
Pediatric
Service (business)
SARS-CoV-2
business.industry
COVID-19
Health Services
United States
Good Health and Well Being
Networking and Information Technology R&D (NITRD)
Otorhinolaryngology
Child, Preschool
Family medicine
Female
Residence
Pediatric otolaryngology
business
Poverty level
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 15314995 and 0023852X
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- The Laryngoscope
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....bffdacb06cc178f13724ad708d716ced
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/lary.29164