Patient and Provider Factors Associated With Successfully Addressing Medical Needs Using Telehealth: A...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Digital Health
• Patient Experience

Background:

• Limited data exist on patient perspectives regarding telemedicine effectiveness.
• Understanding patient-reported outcomes is crucial for optimizing virtual care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze patient experience data to identify factors influencing the success of telemedicine visits.
• To model the likelihood that a virtual visit met a patient's medical needs based on visit characteristics and patient demographics.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 19,465 patient visits.
• Logistic regression modeling to assess odds of virtual visits addressing medical needs.
• Examination of patient age, race, and connection type (video vs. telephone).

Main Results:

• Older age (≥80 years), Black race, and telephone-based consultations were associated with lower odds of meeting medical needs.
• These associations varied modestly across different medical specialties.
• Telehealth was generally well-accepted by patients overall.

Conclusions:

• Patient demographics and technology used for virtual visits significantly impact perceived effectiveness.
• Healthcare providers should consider patient-specific factors and specialty variations when implementing telemedicine.
• Further research is needed to address disparities and improve equitable access to effective virtual care.