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Use of Telehealth Visits for Patients During the Covid-19 Pandemic in an Allergy/Immunology Network
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine ; 205(1), 2022.
Article in English | EMBASE | ID: covidwho-1927877
ABSTRACT
Rationale Telemedicine is a simple way to virtually see a doctor and determine what care a patient may need. The telemedicine platform was introduced to Greater Austin Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (GAAAI) in March 2020 to offer medical services to patients at home, especially for those with concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Common allergy/asthma symptoms include runny nose, nasal congestion, and cough, which tend to overlap with COVID-19 symptoms. We hypothesized an increase in use of ICD-10 codes representing respiratory illness for telemedicine compared with in-clinic visits in an Allergy/Immunology subspecialty network during the COVID-19 epic. This study explores the use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic from 03/01/2020 through 12/31/2021 in patients seen in an Allergy/Immunology subspecialty network.

Methods:

GAAAI collected 35,299 patient encounters across 6 clinics from January 1, 2019 through December 31, 2021 and separated patients into the following groups (1) All visits from 01/01/2019 through 02/28/2020, (2) In-clinic visits from 03/01/2020 through 12/31/2021, and (3) Telemedicine visits from 03/01/2020 through 12/31/2021. The data was imported into RStudio and ICD-10 code frequencies were generated for each group.

Results:

There was a 49% decrease in ICD-10 code use for respiratory illness for telehealth versus a 38% decrease for in-clinic visits compared with all patients seen prior to March 1, 2020. Acute infections had an 18% increase in telehealth visits and a 53% decrease for in-clinic visits. Immune deficiencies had a 220% increase for telehealth versus a 4% increase for in-clinic visits. Environmental allergy symptoms showed a 38% increase for telehealth and a 19% increase for in-clinic visits. Lastly, food allergies exhibited a 67% increase for both telehealth and in-clinic visits.

Conclusions:

Our original exploration was centered around patients experiencing respiratory symptoms and utilizing telemedicine to prevent spreading COVID- 19. The results display the opposite, and convey that patients were less likely to utilize a telemedicine visit when experiencing respiratory symptoms. Patients may be prioritizing their primary care physician when concerned about a potential COVID-19 diagnosis over their Allergy/Asthma specialist. It is apparent that there is still an influx of patients for nasal and food allergies for telemedicine and in-clinic visits after 02/2020. Finally, immunocompromised patients preferred to use the telemedicine platform over an in-office visit which may underline their fear of contracting COVID-19.
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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Year: 2022 Document Type: Article

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Full text: Available Collection: Databases of international organizations Database: EMBASE Language: English Journal: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Year: 2022 Document Type: Article