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Scheduled and attended pediatric primary care telemedicine appointments during COVID-19
Kelsey Schweiberger1, Rhea Verma2, Samantha Faulds2
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Division of General Academic Pediatrics, 3414 Fifth Avenue, CHOB 1st Floor, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA. schweibergerka@upmc.edu.
Insights
This study analyzed pediatric telemedicine scheduling and attendance, finding disparities but also improved language equity over time. Understanding these trends is key for equitable virtual healthcare access.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Telemedicine Research
- Health Equity Studies
Background:
- Examining pediatric primary care telemedicine visit scheduling and attendance during its initial year.
- Utilizing electronic health record data from two academic pediatric practices (April 2020-March 2021).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate child, family, and appointment characteristics associated with scheduled and attended telemedicine visits.
- To identify disparities and trends in telemedicine access and utilization.
Main Methods:
- Employed Pearson chi-squared tests and logistic regression models.
- Analyzed data from 5178 scheduled telemedicine appointments.
- Focused on factors influencing scheduling and attendance rates.
Main Results:
- Disparities observed in scheduling and attendance based on language preference and technology access.
- Higher attendance rates for non-English/Spanish language preference families (90%) and same-day appointments (86%).
- Improved attendance for Spanish-preferring families in later months.
Conclusions:
- Telemedicine appointment scheduling and attendance revealed significant disparities.
- Evidence suggests increasing language equity in telemedicine over the study period.
- Findings highlight the need for targeted strategies to ensure equitable virtual care access.
Background:
The aim of this study was to examine pediatric primary care telemedicine visit scheduling and attendance during the first year of telemedicine.
Methods:
Using electronic health record data from two academic pediatric primary care practices between April 2020-March 2021, we used Pearson χ2 tests and logistic regression models to identify child-, family-, and appointment-level characteristics associated with scheduled and attended telemedicine appointments.
Results:
Among 5178 primary care telemedicine appointments scheduled during the 12-month period, the proportion of appointments scheduled differed over time for children in families with a language preference other than English or Spanish (4% quarter 1 vs. 6% in quarter 4, p = 0.01) and residing in ZIP codes with the lowest household technology access (24% in quarter 1 vs. 19% in quarter 3 (p = 0.01). Four thousand one hundred and forty-eight of 5178 scheduled telemedicine appointments were attended. Likelihood of attending a telemedicine appointment was highest for children in families with a language preference other than English or Spanish (90%, 95% CI 86-94% compared to Spanish 74%, 95% CI 65-84%), and same-day appointments (86%, 95% CI 85-87%). Attendance among families preferring Spanish language was higher in later months compared to earlier months.
Conclusions:
We found disparities in scheduling and attending telemedicine appointments, but signs of greater language equity over time.
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