Comparing In-Person Only, Telemedicine Only, and Hybrid Health Care Visits Among Older Adults in Safety-Net Clinics.

Autor: Adepoju OE; Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.; Humana Integrated Health Systems Sciences Institute, Houston, Texas, USA., Dang P; Humana Integrated Health Systems Sciences Institute, Houston, Texas, USA., Valdez MR; Lone Star Circle of Care, Georgetown, Texas, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Telemedicine reports [Telemed Rep] 2023 May 17; Vol. 4 (1), pp. 93-99. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 17 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI: 10.1089/tmr.2023.0003
Abstrakt: Introduction: Older adults face challenges in seeking health care. This study examined factors associated with in-person only versus telemedicine only versus hybrid health care visits among adults 65+ in safety-net clinics.
Methods: Data were obtained from a large Texas-based Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) network. The dataset included 12,279 appointments for 3914 unique older adults between March and November 2020. The outcome of interest was a 3-level indicator of telemedicine visits: in-person visits only, telemedicine visits only, and hybrid (in person + telemedicine) visits during the study period. We used a multinomial logit model adjusting for patient level characteristics to assess the strength of the relationships.
Results: Compared to their white counterparts, black and Hispanic older adults were significantly likely to have telemedicine only visits versus in-person only visits (black RRR: 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41-0.86; Hispanic RRR: 0.46, 95% CI: 0.36-0.60). However, there were no significant racial and ethnic differences in hybrid utilization (black RRR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.67-1.23; Hispanic RRR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.70-1.07).
Discussion: Our findings suggest that hybrid opportunities may bridge racial and ethnic disparities in access to care. Clinics should consider building capacity for both in-person and telemedicine opportunities as complementary strategies.
Competing Interests: No competing financial interests exist.
(© Omolola E. Adepoju et al., 2023; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)
Databáze: MEDLINE