Analysis of a Pediatric Telemedicine Program

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare
• Telemedicine
• Digital health

Background:

• Telemedicine is transforming global healthcare delivery.
• Nemours Children's Health System launched Nemours CareConnect (NCC), a direct-to-consumer pediatric telemedicine platform, in October 2015.
• This study presents the first descriptive data on a 24/7 pediatric direct-to-consumer telemedicine program.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the initial 1,000 visits on the Nemours CareConnect (NCC) platform.
• To provide descriptive data on a pediatric-specific direct-to-consumer telemedicine service.
• To assess patient satisfaction and potential impact on healthcare seeking behaviors.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 1,000 deidentified patient visits.
• Data collected included visit reasons, patient demographics, peak usage times, wait times, and treatment durations.
• Patient and platform satisfaction were measured using a 5-star rating system.

Main Results:

• Common reasons for visits included skin concerns (18.7%), upper respiratory symptoms (17.5%), and fever (15.2%).
• Peak usage occurred on weekends and between 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM.
• Median wait time was 2 minutes 11 seconds, and median treatment time was 12 minutes 10 seconds.
• Over 93% of patients rated providers 5 stars, and 86% rated the NCC platform 5 stars.
• Sixty-seven percent of parents indicated they would have used urgent care, ER, or retail clinics if NCC was unavailable.

Conclusions:

• Nemours CareConnect (NCC) provides accessible and efficient pediatric care.
• Parents reported high satisfaction with the telemedicine service and providers.
• The findings suggest NCC may redirect patients from more costly care settings.