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Acceptability and Access Metrics for Telehealth Consultation of Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Disabilities During
Insights
Caregivers largely agreed to telehealth neurodevelopmental consultations during COVID-19. However, telehealth did not reduce missed appointments, indicating a need for further innovation to address healthcare disparities.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Telehealth
- Healthcare access
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid adoption of telehealth services.
- Understanding caregiver acceptance and impact on clinical access is crucial for neurodevelopmental services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess caregiver agreement to telehealth neurodevelopmental consultations.
- To identify demographic factors influencing agreement.
- To evaluate clinical access metrics before and during the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Data collected from telehealth referrals and consultations (April-July 2020).
- Agreement status and reasons for decline documented by schedulers.
- Wait times, lag times, and missed appointment rates calculated.
Main Results:
- 91% of caregivers agreed to telehealth consultations.
- 55% of those declining preferred in-person services.
- No demographic differences in agreement; wait times averaged 60 days; missed appointments remained stable.
Conclusions:
- Telehealth is an acceptable alternative for neurodevelopmental consultations.
- Telehealth did not reduce missed appointments in this cohort.
- Further telehealth innovation is required to address healthcare disparities.
Introduction:
We report caregiver agreement to attend telehealth neurodevelopmental consultation during COVID-19, demographic differences in agreement, reasons families declined, and clinical access metrics before and during COVID-19.
Method:
Data were gathered from telehealth referrals and consultations from April to July 2020. Schedulers documented agreement status and reasons for the decline. Wait time, lag time, and missed appointment rates were calculated to measure access.
Results:
Ninety-one percent agreed to attend telehealth consultation; 55% of those who declined preferred in-person services. There were no demographic differences between those who accepted, declined, or did not respond. The median wait time from referral to appointment was 60 days. Missed appointment rates were consistent with prepandemic rates.
Discussion:
Findings support literature suggesting patients are agreeable to telehealth. They diverged from evidence suggesting telehealth reduces missed appointments. Overall, results indicate telehealth is an acceptable alternative; however, further telehealth innovation is needed to address existing disparities.
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