Has increased telehealth access during COVID-19 led to over-utilization of primary care?

Telehealth use for primary care has skyrocketed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Enthusiasts have praised this new medium of delivery as a way to increase access to care while potentially reducing spending. Over two years into the pandemic, the question of whether telehealth will lead to an increase in primary care utilization and spending has been met with contradictory answers. Some evidence suggests that telehealth may be used as an addition to in-person visits. Others like Dixit et al. have found that telehealth can actually substitute for in-person care rather than contribute to overutilization. As telehealth continues to evolve, outcomes, utilization, and quality of care should be closely monitored.

Intelligent risk prediction in public health using wearable device data.

The importance of infection risk prediction as a key public health measure has only been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent study, researchers use machine learning to develop an algorithm that predicts the risk of COVID-19 infection, by combining biometric data from wearable devices like Fitbit, with electronic symptom surveys. In doing so, they aim to increase the efficiency of test allocation when tracking disease spread in resource-limited settings. But the implications of technology that applies data from wearables stretch far beyond infection monitoring into healthcare delivery and research. The adoption and implementation of this type of technology will depend on regulation, impact on patient outcomes, and cost savings.