Telehealth Research, Reports and Surveys
Healio News: 92% of allergy/immunology practices now use telehealth (5/18) – According to a survey from the AMA and American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, the use of telehealth expanded in allergy and immunology care during the pandemic with 92 percent of practices providing such services. Providers reported using telehealth for: treatment or therapy (83 percent); screening, assessments or diagnosis (78 percent); follow-up care including chronic care and post-hospitalization (76 percent); continuous monitoring (58 percent); and intake or triage (42 percent).
Fierce Healthcare: Rural patients have a digital connection but want a human one, too (5/17) - A new report
from Phreesia Life Sciences surveyed adult patients in urban/suburban, and rural areas to get a better understanding of how rural versus urban patients engage with the internet when it comes to health information. The study found there was only a one percent difference in access to smartphones and data plans among rural patients compared to their urban counterparts, however gaps widen when those phones are used for health information. For urban patients, 68 percent reported using the internet to search for health information, compared to 61 percent in rural areas. The study suggests that it’s not accessibility that keeps rural patients from embracing digital health care, but attitudes and understanding of these tools.
News Wise: CHOP Researchers Affirm Effectiveness of Telehealth for Majority of Child Neurology Visits (5/17) – Researchers from the Epilepsy Neurogenetics Initiative (ENGIN) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) found that the majority of child neurology visits can be effectively conducted via telemedicine, however younger children and those with neuromuscular disorders tend to require in-person evaluations. These findings support the fact that telemedicine can continue to help patients beyond the COVID-19 pandemic that necessitated it and reaffirmed previous findings that telemedicine is effective for a large majority of child neurology visits.
Rock Health: Startup innovation for underserved groups: 2021 digital health consumer adoption insights (5/16) – Rock Health released its 2021 Digital Health Consumer Adoption Survey, which sheds light on where digital health solutions are gaining traction across different demographic groups and where gaps still remain. The survey found that digital health adoption gaps persisted in rural communities, with respondents living in rural areas reporting lower rates of live video telemedicine use. Digital health players are helping clinicians to overcome infrastructure barriers remaining for rural care delivery, such as by designing virtual care and remote monitoring platforms to rely on cellular networks which are more widely available than broadband. The survey also found that Medicaid beneficiaries reported using telemedicine modalities beyond live video at slightly higher rates, including live phone telemedicine (50 percent) and text messaging with a clinician (32 percent).
Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare: The impact of telehealth applications on pregnancy outcomes and costs in high-risk pregnancy (5/16) – This study, which aimed to examine the impact of telehealth applications on pregnancy outcomes and costs in high-risk pregnancies, found that telehealth can be safe and effective when it comes to managing high-risk pregnancies. The researchers found that due to COVID-19, the use of telehealth apps in the monitoring and care of high-risk pregnancies has increased substantially in antenatal health services. About 22 percent of pregnancies are considered high-risk due to chronic health problems, infections, complications, or other issues. Telehealth interventions were found to have a positive impact on maternal and neonatal health, as well as on costs, and that telehealth is a safe technique to work with in the management of high-risk pregnancies.
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