The Impact of COVID-19 on Telemedicine Utilization Across Multiple Service Lines in the United States

Betancourt, José; Rosenberg, Matthew A.; Zevallos, Ashley; Brown, John R.; Mileski, Michael

doi:10.3390/healthcare8040380

Cited by 69 publications

(76 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in December 2019 that later turned into a pandemic has posed a tremendous challenge to different healthcare branches [ [1] , [2] , [3] ], and the immediate need to implement a sanitary regime and impose nationwide quarantines in a number of countries. This has led to a significant economic loss and a reorganized life for approximately 4 billion people under lockdown [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical students as the volunteer workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: Polish experience

Bazan

Nowicki

Rzymski

2021

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic medical students in different countries were mobilized to support healthcare systems during the emergency. This study presents the experience of 580 students of a single medical university in Poland who served as volunteers at different healthcare units during the first six months of the first case being recorded in the country (March-September 2020). The mean±SD hours and days spent on volunteering in the studied group were 52±36 and 144±126, respectively, the collective number of worked hours amounted to 83,460 h. Compared to other fields of study students of medicine engaged in volunteering for more hours and for more days. The main tasks performed by the surveyed group included triage, servicing call-centers for patients and working at the admission ward, hospital clinics, emergency departments and diagnostic labs. The level of fear at the beginning of volunteering was relatively low in the studied group and did not increase over the course. The majority of students received positive feedback from families, friends, patients and healthcare workers, revealed a high level of satisfaction from volunteering (also when experiencing COVID-19-related prejudice), while gaining professional experience and a sense of giving real aid were among the most frequently indicated benefits. The results of the present study demonstrate that although medical students are not essential workers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, they can be of real assistance to healthcare systems during times of emergency, and should be considered as such in the future in case such a need arises again.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical students as the volunteer workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: Polish experience

Bazan

Nowicki

Rzymski

2021

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

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“…The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a challenge to healthcare systems, the economy, and education [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. It put billions of people in quarantine during national lockdowns, magnifying pre-existing psychological and health issues and affecting various aspects of life [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Perception and Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland

et al. 2021

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Vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to the success of COVID-19 vaccination programs. The present cross-sectional online survey of adult Poles (n = 1020) expressing a willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine was conducted between February and March 2021 and aimed to assess (i) the general trust in different types of vaccines, (ii) the level of acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccines already in use in Poland (BNT162b2 by BioNTech/Pfizer, mRNA-1273 by Moderna and AZD1222 by Oxford/AstraZeneca) as well as eight vaccines approved outside European Union (EU) or in advanced stages of clinical trials, (iii) level of fear of vaccination against COVID-19, and (iv) main sources of information on COVID-19 vaccination. Among all major vaccine technology, the highest level of trust was observed for the mRNA platform, with a considerable number of surveyed (>20%) not aware of the existence of vaccines produced using the traditional approach (inactivated and live attenuated vaccines). The age of participants was the main factor differentiating the level of trust in a particular vaccine type. Both BNT162b and mRNA-1273 received a high level of acceptance, contrary to AZD1222. From eight vaccines unauthorized in the EU at the moment of study, the CVnCoV (mRNA; CureVac) was met with the highest level of trust, followed by Ad26.COV2.S (vector; Janssen/Johnson&Johnson) and NVX-CoV2373 (protein; Novavax). Sputnik V (vector; Gamaleya Research Institute) was decidedly the least trusted vaccine. The median level of fear (measured by the 10-point Likert-type scale) in the studied group was 4.0, mostly related to the risk of serious allergic reactions, other severe adverse events and unknown long-term effects of vaccination. Female, individuals with a lower level of education and those not seeking any information on the COVID-19 vaccines revealed a higher fear of vaccination. Experts’ materials were the major source of information on COVID-19 vaccines in the studied group. The study shows the level of trust in COVID-19 vaccines can vary much across the producers while the mRNA vaccines are received with a high level of acceptance. It also emphasizes the need for effective and continuous science communication when fighting the pandemic as it may be an ideal time to increase the general awareness of vaccines.

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“…5 With telemedicine becoming a regular part of medical care, several specialties (both surgical and nonsurgical) have published on their experience incorporating telemedicine into their practice, citing high patient satisfaction with the technology. [6][7][8] For example, Serper et al highlighted the increased use of telemedicine in an academic gastroenterology practice in Pennsylvania in the early weeks of the pandemic in which 94% of all visits were performed through telemedicine with 96% of patients reporting somewhat/very satisfied with the medical care. 9 Similarly, the significant increase in telemedicine usage in the field of psychiatry is demonstrated in an analysis by Chen et al…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Telemedicine Utilization at an Academic Medical Center During COVID-19 Pandemic: Are Some Patients Being Left Behind?

Lott

Campbell

Hutzler

et al. 2022

Telemedicine and e-Health

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Introduction:The purpose of this study was to examine the use of telemedicine at one academic health care center during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify opportunities to improve access to this novel delivery method of care. Methods: All patients who underwent telemedicine visits at one urban academic medical center between March 2020 and June 2020 were included. All departments were included including surgical and nonsurgical. Demographic data, primary language, and visit type were collected. Primary zip code was used as surrogate for socioeconomic status through use of the zip code median household income. The demographics of the New York metropolitan area were obtained through the U.S. Census Bureau and used as a control cohort. Results: A total of 362,413 telemedicine visits met inclusion criteria with the majority of visits performed in April and May; 127,851 (35.3%) and 110,166 (30.4%), respectively. The highest performing department was Internal Medicine, which performed 72,796 visits or 20% of the total cohort. In our cohort of telemedicine patients, 59.6% identified as White, 11.4% as Black, and 5.7% as Asian. This is less diverse than the overall population of the metropolitan area, which is 17.5% Black and 11.5% Asian. There was also a large gender gap in the utilization of telemedicine services in general, where women (60.2%) were more likely than men (39.8%) to utilize the virtual visits. In addition, although over a third of patients in the Metropolitan area have median household incomes of <50,000, this population only represented 13.6% of our total cohort. Conclusions: This study highlights both the capability of telemedicine to provide care at a large urban academic medical center during a pandemic in addition to identifying potential gaps in care with telemedicine. The disparities highlighted in our cohort stress the importance of outreach to non-White older patients of lower socioeconomic status.

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The Impact of COVID-19 on Telemedicine Utilization Across Multiple Service Lines in the United States

Cited by 69 publications

References 31 publications

Medical students as the volunteer workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: Polish experience

Medical students as the volunteer workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: Polish experience

The Perception and Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study in Poland

Telemedicine Utilization at an Academic Medical Center During COVID-19 Pandemic: Are Some Patients Being Left Behind?

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