Telemedicine care coordination and visit frequency in pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes in Oregon.

Introduction: Children with type 1 diabetes require close monitoring with visits every 3-4 months. COVID-19-induced telemedicine expansion may alleviate the challenge of high visit frequency that children with type 1 diabetes face. However, telemedicine's impact on access to care may be limited if patients lack adequate support for telemedicine.

Evaluating the Impact of Telemedicine Expansion on Visit Frequency for Children with Type 1 Diabetes at a Single Academic Center in Oregon.

The telemedicine expansion (TE) that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic presents a novel opportunity to increase access to care for rural-residing children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) who may live a great distance from their provider. The study objective was to compare trends in visit frequency among the pediatric T1D population at a single academic center in Oregon before and after TE by those living <100 miles versus ≥100 miles from clinic (MFC) and those residing in urban versus rural areas. We evaluated electronic health record data from 790 children receiving care between July 2018 and December 2021.