Changes in Patient Characteristics in Telehealth Usage During Times of Crisis.

There is limited knowledge on whether increased telehealth usage may enhance health access to communities during natural disasters, particularly for emergency medical services. This study aimed to elucidate telehealth usage during three hurricanes in NC between 2018 and 2020 and assessed demographics of users including gender and age, insurance status, and daily rate of visits in relation to respective hurricanes. From 10,056 telehealth visits, we found that age and insurance coverage were significantly different between crisis and non-crisis times.

Using Automated Text Processing to Assess the Patient Experience of an On-Demand Tele-Urgent Care.

Novel methods are needed to evaluate the perceptions of patients using telehealth. Automated text processing methods presents a golden opportunity to classify and analyze unstructured survey responses from patients. This study analyzed 585 unstructured entries from telehealth patients.

Analysis of Social Determinants and the Utilization of Pediatric Tele-Urgent Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Telehealth is increasingly used to provide specialty consultations to infants and children receiving care. However, there is uncertainty if the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the use of telehealth among vulnerable populations.

Objective: This research aims to compare the overall use of tele-urgent care visits for pediatric patients before and after the pandemic, especially among vulnerable populations.

Evaluation of Patient Experience During Virtual and In-Person Urgent Care Visits: Time and Cost Analysis.

Urgent care (UC) is one of the fastest growing venues of health care delivery for nonemergent conditions. This study compared the patient experience during virtual and in-person urgent care visits. We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with the same diagnosis during Virtual Urgent Care (VUC) and in-person UC visits with the same diagnosis with regard to time and cost over a period of one year.

Evaluating the Telehealth Experience of Patients With COVID-19 Symptoms: Recommendations on Best Practices.

Positive patient experiences are associated with illness recovery and adherence to medication. To evaluate the virtual care experience for patients with COVID-19 symptoms as their chief complaints. We conducted a cross-sectional study of the first cohort of patients with COVID-19 symptoms in a virtual clinic.

Multivariate Analysis of Physicians' Practicing Behaviors in an Urgent Care Telemedicine Intervention.

When assessing the characteristics and performance of telemedicine interventions, most studies followed a patient- centric approach, leaving the telemedicine providers' role out of consideration. As a result, little was known about the demographics and prescription pattern of telemedicine physicians, the knowledge of which is integral to a holistic evaluation of the virtual delivery of accountable care. To fill this gap, our study explored how physicians' traits and encounter-specific characteristics correlate with prescription outcomes, using multivariate analyses.

Interpreting COVID-19 and Virtual Care Trends: Cohort Study.

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is rapidly spreading across the world. As of March 26, 2020, there are more than 500,000 cases and more than 25,000 deaths related to COVID-19, and the numbers are increasing by the hour.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the trends in confirmed COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, and to understand patterns in virtual visits related to symptoms of COVID-19.

Analyzing the Demographics of Virtual Care Users.

Using telemedicine to provide care is an attractive alternative for patients. However, few studies have examined the demographics of the patients using virtual care. In this paper, we investigate the demographic features of the Virtual Care (VC) users; Age, gender, roles, and preferred methods of communication are studied.

Evaluation of Perceived Usability and Utilization of a Virtual Care Program Among Adolescents and Geriatrics.

The advancement of telemedicine has allowed to reach users of various demographics. In this paper we compare two cohorts, adolescents and geriatrics at a virtual care clinic. We calculated frequent chief complaints, modality of communication, and the distribution of gender.

Advancing health equity and access using telemedicine: a geospatial assessment.

Introduction: Health disparity affects both urban and rural residents, with evidence showing that rural residents have significantly lower health status than urban residents. Health equity is the commitment to reducing disparities in health and in its determinants, including social determinants.

Objective: This article evaluates the reach and context of a virtual urgent care (VUC) program on health equity and accessibility with a focus on the rural underserved population.

Factors Determining Patients' Choice Between Mobile Health and Telemedicine: Predictive Analytics Assessment.

Background: The solution to the growing problem of rural residents lacking health care access may be found in the use of telemedicine and mobile health (mHealth). Using mHealth or telemedicine allows patients from rural or remote areas to have better access to health care.

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand factors influencing the choice of communication medium for receiving care, through the analysis of mHealth versus telemedicine encounters with a virtual urgent clinic.