Addressing disparities in telehealth access for children on the Southside of Chicago

IF 2.7 3区医学 Q1 SURGERY

American journal of surgery Pub Date : 2025-04-28 DOI:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2025.116366

Joy Ayemoba , Karen Schaller , Rachel Nordgren , Kathleen Webster , Carmelle Romain

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Rapid implementation of telehealth exacerbated the digital divide, creating uneven distribution in access, use, or impact of communication technologies among distinct groups. Our aim was to identify factors impacting access to telehealth in a pediatric specialty clinic.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study used survey methods and electronic health record (EHR) data to examine telehealth access during the COVID-19 pandemic in the South Side of Chicago.

Results

Of 193 patient encounters reviewed, 127 met inclusion criteria. 42 parent surveys were completed, with 36 completed visits. No shows included a higher proportion of Hispanic and non-English speaking patients from areas with lower median income.

Our parent questionnaire showed association of no-show rates with lower caregiver education (p = 0.005), non-English speaking (p = 0.015), difficulty accessing internet (p = 0.011), and only smartphone internet access (p = 0.002).

Discussion/conclusion

Completion of telehealth visits was impacted by ethnicity, education, and digital access. Future work is needed to address these areas.

Abstract Image

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解决芝加哥南部儿童远程医疗服务的差距问题

背景远程保健的迅速实施加剧了数字鸿沟，造成不同群体在获取、使用或影响通信技术方面分布不均。我们的目的是确定影响在儿科专科诊所获得远程医疗的因素。方法本回顾性队列研究采用调查方法和电子健康记录（EHR）数据对芝加哥南区2019冠状病毒病大流行期间的远程医疗访问情况进行调查。结果193例患者中，127例符合纳入标准。完成了42份家长调查，其中36份完成了访问。没有研究显示来自中位数收入较低地区的西班牙裔和非英语患者的比例更高。我们的家长问卷显示，失勤率与看护人受教育程度较低（p = 0.005）、不会说英语（p = 0.015）、上网困难（p = 0.011）和仅使用智能手机上网（p = 0.002）有关。讨论/结论：种族、教育和数字访问对远程医疗访问的完成程度有影响。需要在今后的工作中解决这些问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American journal of surgery 医学-外科

CiteScore

5.00

自引率

6.70%

发文量

570

审稿时长

56 days

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Surgery® is a peer-reviewed journal designed for the general surgeon who performs abdominal, cancer, vascular, head and neck, breast, colorectal, and other forms of surgery. AJS is the official journal of 7 major surgical societies* and publishes their official papers as well as independently submitted clinical studies, editorials, reviews, brief reports, correspondence and book reviews.