Rapid Transition to Telehealth and the Digital Divide: Implications for Primary Care Access and Equity in a Post‐COVID Era

作者：Ji Eun Chang, Alden Yuanhong Lai, Avni Gupta, Ann M. Nguyen, Carolyn A. Berry, Donna Shelley · 发表于：Milbank Quarterly · 年份：2021 · DOI：10.1111/1468-0009.12509 · 被引用次数：407 · 研究领域：Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation、COVID-19 and healthcare impacts、Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare

Policy Points Telehealth has many potential advantages during an infectious disease outbreak such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift to telehealth as a prominent care delivery mode. Not all health care providers and patients are equally ready to take part in the telehealth revolution, which raises concerns for health equity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Without proactive efforts to address both patient- and provider-related digital barriers associated with socioeconomic status, the wide-scale implementation of telehealth amid COVID-19 may reinforce disparities in health access in already marginalized and underserved communities. To ensure greater telehealth equity, policy changes should address barriers faced overwhelmingly by marginalized patient populations and those who serve them. CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed fundamental shifts across the US health care delivery system, including a rapid transition to telehealth. Telehealth has many potential advantages, including maintaining critical access to care while keeping both patients and providers safe from unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus. However, not all health care providers and patients are equally ready to take part in this digital revolution, which raises concerns for health equity during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The study analyzed data about small primary care practices' telehealth use and barriers to telehealth use collected fro...