Telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for rural health disparities.
J Am Med Inform Assoc
; 27(11): 1816-1818, 2020 11 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1024113
ABSTRACT
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.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Rural Health
/
Telemedicine
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Pandemics
/
Health Services Accessibility
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
J Am Med Inform Assoc
Journal subject:
Medical Informatics
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Jamia
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