Telehealth for Noncritical Patients With Chronic Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Liu, Na; Huang, R.K.; Baldacchino, Tanya; Sud, Archana; Sud, Kamal; Khadra, Mohamed; Kim, Jinman

doi:10.2196/19493

Cited by 75 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…With this in mind, information provided to patients about telehealth may also include information about future plans to return to in-person visits, including public and personal health standards that need to be met to do so. In the interim, providers may also consider implementing recently suggested strategies to enhance feelings of “copresence” or connection between patient and provider during telehealth visits [ 7 , 15 ]. Such strategies include postvisit mood evaluations, one-click responses from health care teams, and encouraging messages, and may help further engage patients, alleviate stress, and maintain continuity of care during the pandemic [ 7 , 15 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telemedicine Use and Health-Related Concerns of Patients With Chronic Conditions During COVID-19: Survey of Members of Online Health Communities

Horrell¹,

Hayes²,

Herbert³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

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Background It has been widely communicated that individuals with underlying health conditions are at higher risk of severe disease due to COVID-19 than healthy peers. As social distancing measures continue during the COVID-19 pandemic, experts encourage individuals with underlying conditions to engage in telehealth appointments to maintain continuity of care while minimizing risk exposure. To date, however, little information has been provided regarding telehealth uptake among this high-risk population. Objective The aim of this study is to describe the telehealth use, resource needs, and information sources of individuals with chronic conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Secondary objectives include exploring differences in telehealth use by sociodemographic characteristics. Methods Data for this study were collected through an electronic survey distributed between May 12-14, 2020, to members of 26 online health communities for individuals with chronic disease. Descriptive statistics were run to explore telehealth use, support needs, and information sources, and z tests were run to assess differences in sociodemographic factors and information and support needs among those who did and did not use telehealth services. Results Among the 2210 respondents, 1073 (49%) reported engaging in telehealth in the past 4 months. Higher proportions of women engaged in telehealth than men (890/1781, 50% vs 181/424, 43%; P=.007), and a higher proportion of those earning household incomes of more than US $100,000 engaged in telehealth than those earning less than US $30,000 (195/370, 53% vs 241/530 45%; P=.003). Although 59% (133/244) of those younger than 40 years and 54% (263/486) of those aged 40-55 years used telehealth, aging populations were less likely to do so, with only 45% (677/1500) of individuals 56 years or older reporting telehealth use (P<.001 and P=.001, respectively). Patients with cystic fibrosis, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis recorded the highest proportions of individuals using telehealth when compared to those with other diagnoses. Of the 2210 participants, 1333 (60%) participants either looked up information about the virus online or planned to in the future, and when asked what information or support would be most helpful right now, over half (1151/2210, 52%) responded “understanding how COVID-19 affects people with my health condition.” Conclusions Nearly half of the study sample reported participating in telehealth in the past 4 months. Future efforts to engage individuals with underlying medical conditions in telehealth should focus on outreach to men, members of lower-income households, and aging populations. These results may help inform and refine future health communications to further engage this at-risk population in telehealth as the pandemic continues.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telemedicine Use and Health-Related Concerns of Patients With Chronic Conditions During COVID-19: Survey of Members of Online Health Communities

Horrell¹,

Hayes²,

Herbert³

et al. 2021

J Med Internet Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…It may be reasonably assumed that high risk face-to-face services were maintained in most hospitals around Australia. Other professions in variable health settings described a rapid shift to the use of telemedicine with unknown effectiveness relating to condition-specific outcomes [ 31 , 32 ]. Through the timeline of directives (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experiences of Australian podiatrists working through the 2020 coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic: an online survey

Williams

Couch

Haines

et al. 2021

Journal of Foot and Ankle Research

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Background On the 19th of January, 2020, the Chief Medical Officer of Australia issued a statement about a novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2. Since this date, there have been variable jurisdictional responses, including lockdowns, and restrictions on podiatry practice. This study aimed to describe impacts of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on the podiatry profession in Australia. Methods This was a cross sectional study of Australian podiatrists using demographic data collected between 2017 and 2020, and pandemic-related question responses collected between 30th March and 31st August, 2020. Data were collected online and participants described their work settings, patient funding types, business decisions and impacts, and information sources used to guide practice decisions during this time-period. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse open-ended questions about their practice impact of SARS-CoV-2. Results There were 732 survey responses, with 465 Australian podiatrists or podiatric surgeons providing responses describing pandemic impact. From these responses, 223 (49% of 453) podiatrists reported no supply issues, or having adequate supplies for the foreseeable future with personal protective equipment (PPE) or consumables to support effective infection prevention and control. The most frequent responses about employment, or hours of work, impact were reported in the various categories of “business as usual” (n = 312, 67%). Participants described most frequently using the local state and territory Department of Health websites (n = 347, 75%), and the Australian Podiatry Association (n = 334, 72%) to make decisions about their business. Overarching themes which resounded through open-ended comments was that working through the pandemic was likened to a marathon, and not a sprint. Themes were: (i) commitment to do this, (ii) it’s all in the plan, but not everything goes to plan, (iii) my support team must be part of getting through it, (iv) road blocks happen, and (v) nothing is easy, what’s next? Conclusion Podiatrists in Australia reported variable pandemic impact on their business decisions, PPE stores, and their valued sources of information. Podiatrists also described their “marathon” journey through the pandemic to date, with quotes describing their challenges and highlights. Describing these experiences should provide key learnings for future workforce challenges, should further restrictions come into place.

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“…Although general practitioners are playing a major role in the diagnosis of patients with COVID‐19, the treatment and the management of diabetes should not be disrupted in primary care practices. Telehealth services may help overcome the overload of general practices and the patients' fear of contracting COVID‐19 27 . For example, remote monitoring of blood glucose levels may contribute to the detection of patients with uncontrolled diabetes, while general practitioners may prescribe new treatments during dedicated video consultations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in glucose‐lowering medication regimens in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Germany

Jacob

Rickwood

Rathmann

et al. 2021

Diabetes Obesity Metabolism

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Aim To estimate the proportion of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) undergoing changes in glucose‐lowering therapy in 2019 and 2020. Method Individuals with T2DM who had at least one consultation in one of 940 general (including diabetologist) practices in Germany between January and July 2019 (N = 79 268) and between January and July 2020 (N = 85 046) were included. Therapy changes were defined as the prescription of new glucose‐lowering drugs, with or without the discontinuation of previous treatments (therapy switch and add‐on therapy, respectively). The number of T2DM patients with at least one medication regimen change was calculated for the periods 1 January to 14 March in 2019 and 2020, and for the periods 15 March to 31 July in 2019 and 2020. March 2020 corresponded to the beginning of the lockdown in Germany. Results Overall, there was a decrease in the number of patients with at least one medication regimen change in the period 15 March to 31 July 2019 compared with 15 March to 31 July 2020 (dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitors: −15%; sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors: −3%; glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists: 0%; other oral glucose‐lowering drugs: −6%; and insulin: −21%). Conclusions The coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐2019) pandemic had a strong impact on glucose‐lowering drug use in T2DM patients in Germany. More research is warranted to further investigate the treatment and management of T2DM individuals during the COVID‐19 era in Germany and elsewhere.

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Telehealth for Noncritical Patients With Chronic Diseases During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 75 publications

References 14 publications

Telemedicine Use and Health-Related Concerns of Patients With Chronic Conditions During COVID-19: Survey of Members of Online Health Communities

Telemedicine Use and Health-Related Concerns of Patients With Chronic Conditions During COVID-19: Survey of Members of Online Health Communities

Experiences of Australian podiatrists working through the 2020 coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic: an online survey

Change in glucose‐lowering medication regimens in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Germany

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