Telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for rural health disparities

Telehealth programs have long held promise for addressing rural health disparities perpetuated by inadequate healthcare access. The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and accompanying social distancing measures have hastened the implementation of telehealth programs in hospital systems aro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA 2020-11, Vol.27 (11), p.1816-1818
Main Authors: Hirko, Kelly A, Kerver, Jean M, Ford, Sabrina, Szafranski, Chelsea, Beckett, John, Kitchen, Chris, Wendling, Andrea L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coronavirus Infections
COVID-19
Health Services Accessibility
Healthcare Disparities
Humans
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral
Rural Health
Telemedicine
United States
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Summary:Telehealth programs have long held promise for addressing rural health disparities perpetuated by inadequate healthcare access. The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and accompanying social distancing measures have hastened the implementation of telehealth programs in hospital systems around the globe. Here, we provide specific examples of telehealth efforts that have been implemented in a large rural healthcare system in response to the pandemic, and further describe how the massive shift to telehealth and reliance on virtual connections in these times of social isolation may impact rural health disparities for those without access to necessary broadband to deploy digital technologies. Finally, we provide recommendations for researchers and policymakers to ensure that telehealth initiatives do not amplify existing health disparities experienced by those living in rural communities.
ISSN:1527-974X
1067-5027
1527-974X
DOI:10.1093/jamia/ocaa156