Telehealth utilisation in residential aged care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective cohort study in Australian general practice.

Autor:	Dai Z; Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.; College of Medicine & Public Health, Flinders University., Sezgin G; Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia., Li J; Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia., Franco GS; Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia., McGuire P; Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, Victoria, Australia., Datta S; Eastern Melbourne Primary Health Network, Victoria, Australia., Pearce C; Outcome Health, Victoria, Australia., McLeod A; Outcome Health, Victoria, Australia., Georgiou A; Centre for Health Systems and Safety Research, Australian Institute of Health Innovation Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of telemedicine and telecare [J Telemed Telecare] 2024 Jun; Vol. 30 (5), pp. 834-841. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 May 11.
DOI:	10.1177/1357633X221094406
Abstrakt:	Introduction: Our earlier analysis during the COVID-19 surges in 2020 showed a reduction in general practitioner (GP) in-person visits to residential aged care facilities (RACFs) and increased use of telehealth. This study assessed how sociodemographic characteristics affected telehealth utilisation. Methods: This retrospective cohort consists of 27,980 RACF residents aged 65 years and over, identified from general practice electronic health records in Victoria and New South Wales during March 2020-August 2021. Residents' demographic characteristics, including age, sex, region, and pension status, were analysed to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the associations with telehealth utilisation (telephone/video vs. in-person consultations) and with video versus telephone consultations, in mixed-effects multiple level regression models. Results: Of 32,330 median monthly GP consultations among 21,987 residents identified in 2020, telehealth visits accounted for 17% of GP consultations, of which 93% were telephone consults. In 2021, of 32,229 median monthly GP consultations among 22,712 residents, telehealth visits accounted for 11% of GP consultations (97% by telephone). Pension holders (OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.17) and those residing in rural areas (OR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.57, 1.90) were more likely to use telehealth. However, residents in rural areas were less likely to use video than telephone in GP consultations (OR: 0.41; 95% CI: 0.29, 0.57). Results were similar in separate analyses for each COVID surge. Discussion: Telephone was primarily used in telehealth consultations among pension holders and rural residents in RACFs. Along with the limited use of video in virtual care in rural RACFs, the digital divide may imply potential healthcare disparities in socially disadvantaged patients. Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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