Openness to Use of Telehealth During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in a Sample of Rural Older Adults in a Federally Qualified Health Center

Abstract

To the EditorThe COVID-19 pandemic has facilitated increased use of telehealth for primary and specialty care encounters, and recently there have been calls to expand its use in post-acute and long-term care settings. 1,2 Telehealth expansion is particularly important for rural and underserved populations as it represents a medium to increase access and reduce disparities in health care delivery. 3 However, despite the increase in availability, relatively little is known about whether rural older adults are open to using telehealth. Methods SampleParticipants were adults aged 65 years from one clinic affiliated with a network of rural southeastern federally qualified health centers. These clinics serve more than 22,000 primarily rural patients, of which approximately 3000 are aged 65 years. Approximately 38% of patients are racial or ethnic minorities: 27% are black and 11% Hispanic/Latino. As part of a larger quality improvement (QI) initiative, older adults who were active patients (n ¼ 357) were contacted for participation in a brief survey. Sixty-five (18.2%) completed the survey (50 by e-mail, 15 by mail). Because this project was deemed QI, institutional review board approval was not required.

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