Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Pediatric Infectious Disease Telehealth Practices in North America
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Published on: September 28, 2022
Sabah Kalyoussef1, Amin Hakim2, Ambuj Kumar3
1The Children's Hospital at Saint Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.
Insights
Pediatric infectious disease specialists significantly increased telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting higher comfort and satisfaction. Most plan to continue telehealth services post-pandemic, highlighting its value in pediatric care.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Health Services Research
- Telemedicine
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telehealth adoption across healthcare.
- Limited data exists on telehealth utilization by pediatric infectious disease (PID) specialists.
- This study assesses pre- and intra-pandemic telehealth usage and experiences among PID providers.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate changes in telehealth usage among pediatric infectious disease specialists during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To identify factors influencing telehealth adoption and satisfaction in this specialty.
- To inform future telehealth strategies in pediatric infectious disease care.
Main Methods:
- A survey was distributed to U.S. and Canadian PID specialists by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Telehealth Work Group.
- Data collection occurred from December 2020 to February 2021, focusing on telehealth modalities, barriers, and satisfaction.
- Analysis included descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis to identify predictors of telehealth usage.
Main Results:
- Synchronous provider-patient telehealth saw a 3.9-fold increase during the pandemic.
- Provider comfort with telehealth doubled (42% to 91%), and satisfaction rose significantly (74% to 93.3%).
- Incomplete physical examination was the primary challenge; EMR-integrated telehealth correlated with higher usage and satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric infectious disease specialists demonstrated high telehealth adoption, comfort, and satisfaction during the pandemic.
- Pre-existing telehealth use and fewer barriers were associated with increased intra-pandemic utilization.
- A majority of specialists intend to continue telehealth post-pandemic, indicating its sustained relevance.
Background:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has driven a significant increase in the use of telehealth (TH) but little is published about changes in TH usage by pediatric infectious disease (PID) providers. We assessed their pre- and intra-pandemic TH usage and experience.
Methods:
The Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society Telehealth Work Group surveyed PID specialists in the United States and Canada from 6 December 2020 until 26 February 2021. Data collected included TH modalities, barriers, and satisfaction.
Results:
The survey response rate was 11.3% (288 of 2,550 PID clinicians) with 243 (96% of 253 analysis-eligible responses) managing children only. Women accounted for 62.1% (n = 157), 51.4% (130) of respondents devoted 50-99% of their time to direct patient care, and 93.3% (236) were located in the United States. The greatest increase in TH usage during the pandemic was in synchronous provider-patient communications (3.9-fold increase). During the pandemic, provider-provider TH increased by less than 10%, comfort with TH usage doubled from 42% to 91%, and satisfaction grew from 74% to 93.3% with different aspects of TH. The top challenge was incomplete or no physical examination (182, 71.9%). Multivariate analysis showed that pre-pandemic TH usage and lack of barriers, but not reimbursement, were significantly associated with higher intra-pandemic usage. EMR-integrated TH was associated with significantly higher usage and satisfaction. Over 70% of respondents anticipate continuing TH usage after the pandemic.
Conclusions:
There was high intra-pandemic usage of, and increased comfort and satisfaction with telehealth by PID specialists. Our data help inform post-pandemic TH expectations and strategies.
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