Association between telehealth use and general practitioner characteristics during COVID-19: findings from a nationally representative survey of Australian doctors

Scott, Anthony; Bai, Tianshu; Zhang, Yuting

doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-046857

Cited by 37 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 16 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…Overall, it appeared that group practices were using e-health applications more than solo- or duo-practices. This finding is in line with results from Australia, where GPs in larger practices had higher proportions of telehealth consultations compared to GPs from solo practices [ 29 ]. This result might be explained by the fact that resources in terms of workforce, money, and time for implementation of e-health applications are larger in group practices.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Use of E-Health in Dutch General Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Keuper

Batenburg

Verheij

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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The COVID-19 pandemic has forced general practices to search for possibilities to provide healthcare remotely (e.g., e-health). In this study, the impact of the pandemic on the use of e-health in general practices in the Netherlands was investigated. In addition, the intention of practices to continue using e-health more intensively and differences in the use of e-health between practice types were investigated. For this purpose, web surveys were sent to general practices in April and July 2020. Descriptive data analysis was performed and differences in the use of e-health between practice types were tested using one-way ANOVA. Response rates were 34% (n = 1433) in April and 17% (n = 719) in July. The pandemic invoked an increased use of several (new) e-health applications. A minority of practices indicated the intention to maintain this increased use. In addition, small differences in the use of e-health between the different practice types were found. This study showed that although there was an increased uptake of e-health in Dutch general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, only a minority of practices intends to maintain this increased use in the future. This may point towards a temporary uptake of digital healthcare delivery rather than accelerated implementation of digital processes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Use of E-Health in Dutch General Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Keuper

Batenburg

Verheij

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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“…Difficulty in making clinical decisions 3 1 4 13,15,31,33 Lack of motivation/support --3 3 17,35,36 Changes to consultation type 2 --2 13,27 Issues -Patients Concerns about privacy 3 -1 4 20,25,29,32 Monetary concerns 3 --3 20,24,29 Physician missing appointments 1 -- 16 Issues -Patients and PCPs Lack of confidence in, and access to, the technical skills/ technology required for remote consultations 8 1 6 14,16,17,20,21,23,24,25,28,29,30,33,34,35,36 Loss of non-verbal communication and patient-physician rapport 6 2 1 13,16,17,20,21,24,25,33,36 Loss of physical and visual assessment of symptoms 5 2 1 13,16,17,20,21,25,31,…”

Section: Issues -Pcpsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-method rapid review of the literature

Verma

Kerrison

2022

BJGP Open

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BackgroundDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented remote consultations in primary care to protect patients and staff from infection.AimThe aim of this review was to synthesise the literature exploring patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care, during the pandemic, with the further aim of informing their future delivery.Design & settingRapid literature review.MethodWe searched PubMed and PsychInfo for studies that explored patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care. To determine the eligibility of studies, we reviewed their titles and abstracts, prior to the full paper. We then extracted qualitative and quantitative data from those that were eligible, and synthesised the data using thematic and descriptive synthesis.ResultsA total of twenty-four studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. Most were performed in the United States of America (n=7, 29%) or Europe (n=7, 29%). Patient and physician experiences were categorised into perceived ‘advantages’ and ‘issues’. Key advantages experienced by patients and physicians included: ‘Reduced risk of COVID-19’ and ‘Increased convenience’, while key issues included: ‘a lack of confidence in / access to required technology’ and a ‘loss of non-verbal communication’, which exacerbated clinical decision making.ConclusionThis review identified a number of advantages and issues experienced by patients and physicians using remote consultations in primary care. The results suggest that, while remote consultations are more convenient, and protect patients and staff against COVID-19, they result in the loss of valuable non-verbal communication, and are not accessible to all.

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“…2 While in-person visits to healthcare providers dropped fast and early in the pandemic, by June 2020 telehealth consultations in general practice had more than made up for the reduction in face-to-face consultations. 3 Expansion of remote cancer care, 4 remote aged care consultations and 24/7 availability of COVID-19 primary care advice 5 are some examples of the way in which telehealth has been used in diverse settings, well beyond the conventional remit of assessment and advice to those living in rural and remote Australia. Less-publicised trends are the growing use of health contact centres by consumers around Australia over the past decade 6 and the rapid development of new digital platforms to support provision of health assessment, advice and referral via phone, video consultations and online.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…4,7 Although the Australian Department of Health has stipulated that video consultation is the preferred telehealth delivery mode, 8 the vast majority of telehealth consultations during the pandemic have been delivered by telephone. 3,9 From July 2021, a lower rebate for audio-only long consultations (C and D) than video has been implemented. 9 Delivery of video consultations is highly dependent on the adoption and rapid scale-up of appropriate digital infrastructure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 Telehealth use figures during the pandemic suggest that few GPs were able to move quickly to more advanced digital capability, and possibly that consumers themselves were not prepared or able to move beyond the familiar communication mode of the telephone. 3 It appears that audio-only telehealth was the default delivery mode for most providers. For people in disadvantaged groups -such as the frail elderly, people with disabilities and people from non-English speaking backgroundsthe digital health divide can be a source of inequity and may be a barrier to receiving high-quality care.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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