A Comparative Analysis of Healthcare Quality Perception Among Different Vulnerable Populations with and without Telehealth Utilization: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Health Information National Trends Survey.
Richard C Wang, Daniel I Lipin, Thomas K Swoboda, Usha Sambamoorthi
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a rapid expansion of telehealth utilization in medicine. However, the quality measures associated with telehealth use remain unclear, particularly among vulnerable populations. This study aims to investigate the impact of telehealth on individuals' perception of overall quality care among vulnerable patient populations.
Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized Health Information National Trends Survey data. The individuals' overall perception of healthcare quality was compared between populations that had at least one telehealth visit and non-telehealth users, who all had the option of utilizing telehealth. This comparison focused on vulnerable populations, considering differences in race and ethnicity (non-Hispanic white vs. non-Hispanic black/Hispanic individuals) and socioeconomic status (high vs. low). Multivariable logistic regressions were employed to ascertain the association between individuals' overall perceptions of quality care with and without telehealth utilization.
Results: A total of 2920 participants, representing an unweighted population of 114,608,302, were analyzed. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) for at least one telehealth visit associated with individuals' overall perception of quality care among the entire survey population was 0.76 with a 95% CI of 0.51-1.13 (p = 0.173). The AOR was 0.83 (95% CI 0.39-1.77, p = 0.618) among the non-White population, and the AOR was 0.71 (95% CI 0.29-1.78, p = 0.462) among individuals with low SES.
Conclusions: Although telehealth utilization has both its limitations and advantages compared to traditional clinical visits, no statistically significant differences in individuals' overall perception of quality care were identified among telehealth and non-telehealth users. These findings were also consistent across various vulnerable populations.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities reports on the scholarly progress of work to understand, address, and ultimately eliminate health disparities based on race and ethnicity. Efforts to explore underlying causes of health disparities and to describe interventions that have been undertaken to address racial and ethnic health disparities are featured. Promising studies that are ongoing or studies that have longer term data are welcome, as are studies that serve as lessons for best practices in eliminating health disparities. Original research, systematic reviews, and commentaries presenting the state-of-the-art thinking on problems centered on health disparities will be considered for publication. We particularly encourage review articles that generate innovative and testable ideas, and constructive discussions and/or critiques of health disparities.Because the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities receives a large number of submissions, about 30% of submissions to the Journal are sent out for full peer review.