1
|
Atabaki SM, Shur NE, Munoz RA, Bhuvanendran S, Sable C, Rojas CR, Lopez-Magallon AJ, Clarke JC, Sabouriane CE, Krishnan A, Wessel DL. Direct-to-patient telemedicine: Expanding access to regional pediatric specialty care. J Investig Med 2024; 72:248-255. [PMID: 38102744 DOI: 10.1177/10815589231222197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Telemedicine is seen as a useful tool in reducing gaps in health care but this technology-enabled care can also exacerbate health inequity if not implemented with a focus on inclusivity. Though many studies have reported improvements as well as exacerbation of disparities in access to care in their telehealth programs, there does not exist a common evaluation tool to assess these programs. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on health care workers and protect medically vulnerable children, in March 2020 we expanded our pre-established specialty and subspecialty direct-to-patient pediatric telemedicine program in a high volume urban pediatric health system. Our program aimed to prevent disparities in pediatric health care. In this study, using a "Pillars of Access" approach as a model to evaluate impact and access to care of our direct-to-patient telemedicine program, we analyzed the patients that were seen pre-COVID versus post-COVID. Our study demonstrated an increase in telemedicine visits for patients from diverse socioeconomic and racial backgrounds, and geographically underserved communities. We also observed an increase in telemedicine visits for mental health complaints and for certain categories of high-risk patients. This study was not designed to identify language and cultural barriers to telemedicine. Future identification of these specific barriers is needed. The tool to evaluate telehealth impact/access to care through a "Pillars of Access" approach presented here could serve as a model for implementation of telehealth programs. Our study highlights telemedicine programs as a mechanism to address healthcare inequity and overcome barriers to care.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Craig Sable
- Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Boggs KM, Glew D, Rahman KN, Gao J, Boyle TP, Samuels-Kalow ME, Sullivan AF, Zachrison KS, Camargo CA. Pediatric Telehealth Use in U.S. Emergency Departments in 2019. Telemed J E Health 2023; 29:551-559. [PMID: 36103263 PMCID: PMC10079250 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2022.0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: Little is known about the recent usage of pediatric telehealth across all emergency departments (EDs) in the United States. Building upon our prior work, we aimed to characterize the usage of ED pediatric telehealth in the pre-COVID-19 era. Methods: The 2019 National ED Inventory-USA survey characterized all U.S. EDs open in 2019. Among EDs reporting receipt of pediatric telehealth services, we selected a random sample (n = 130) for a second survey on pediatric telehealth usage (2019 ED Pediatric Telehealth Survey). We also recontacted a random sample of EDs that responded to a prior, similar 2017 ED Pediatric Telehealth Survey (n = 107), for a total of 237 EDs in the 2019 ED Pediatric Telehealth Survey sample. Results: Overall, 193 (81%) of the 237 EDs responded to the 2019 Pediatric Telehealth Survey. There were 149 responding EDs that confirmed pediatric telehealth receipt in 2019. Among these, few reported ever having a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) physician (10%) or pediatrician (9%) available for emergency care. Although 96% of EDs reported availability of pediatric telehealth services 24 h per day, 7 days per week, the majority (60%) reported using services less than once per month and 20% reported using services every 3-4 weeks. EDs most frequently used pediatric telehealth to assist with placement and transfer coordination (91%). Conclusions: Most EDs receiving pediatric telehealth in 2019 had no PEM physician or pediatrician available. Most EDs used pediatric telehealth services infrequently. Understanding barriers to assimilation of telehealth once adopted may be important to enable improved access to pediatric emergency care expertise.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Krislyn M. Boggs
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Dorsey Glew
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kashfia N. Rahman
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jingya Gao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tehnaz P. Boyle
- Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | | | - Ashley F. Sullivan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kori S. Zachrison
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Carlos A. Camargo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Marcin JP, Sauers-Ford HS, Mouzoon JL, Haynes SC, Dayal P, Sigal I, Tancredi D, Lieng MK, Kuppermann N. Impact of Tele-Emergency Consultations on Pediatric Interfacility Transfers: A Cluster-Randomized Crossover Trial. JAMA Netw Open 2023; 6:e2255770. [PMID: 36780158 PMCID: PMC9926323 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.55770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/14/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Pediatric referral centers are increasingly using telemedicine to provide consultations to help care for acutely ill children presenting to rural and community emergency departments (EDs). These pediatric telemedicine consultations may help improve physician decision-making and may reduce the frequency of overtriage and interfacility transfers. OBJECTIVE To examine the use of pediatric critical care telemedicine vs telephone consultations associated with risk-adjusted transfer rates of acutely ill children from community and rural EDs. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A cluster-randomized crossover trial was conducted between November 18, 2015, and March 26, 2018. Analyses were conducted from January 19, 2018, to July 23, 2022, 2022. Participants included acutely ill children aged 14 years and younger presenting to a participating ED in 15 rural and community EDs in northern California. INTERVENTIONS Participating EDs were randomized to use telemedicine or telephone for consultations with pediatric critical care physicians according to 1 of 4 unbalanced (3 telemedicine:1 telephone) crossover treatment assignment sequences. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Intention-to-treat, treatment-received, and per-protocol analyses were performed to determine the risk of transfer using mixed effects Poisson regression analyses with random intercepts for presenting EDs to account for hospital-level clustering. RESULTS A total of 696 children (392 boys [56.3%]; mean [SD] age, 4.2 [4.6] years) were enrolled. Of the 537 children (77.2%) assigned to telemedicine, 251 (46.7%) received the intervention. In the intention-to-treat analysis, patients assigned to the telemedicine arm were less likely to be transferred compared with patients assigned to the telephone arm after adjusting for patient age, severity of illness, and hospital study period (risk rate [RR], 0.93; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99). The adjusted risk of transfer was significantly lower in the telemedicine arm compared with the telephone arm in both the treatment-received analysis (RR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.71-0.94) and the per-protocol analysis (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68-0.92). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this randomized trial, the use of telemedicine to conduct consultations for acutely ill children in rural and community EDs resulted in less frequent overall interfacility transfers than consultations done by telephone. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02877810.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James P. Marcin
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| | - Hadley S. Sauers-Ford
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| | - Jamie L. Mouzoon
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| | - Sarah C. Haynes
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| | - Parul Dayal
- Genentech Inc, South San Francisco, California
| | - Ilana Sigal
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| | - Daniel Tancredi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| | - Monica K. Lieng
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| | - Nathan Kuppermann
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Joseph MM, Mahajan P, Snow SK, Ku BC, Saidinejad M. Optimizing Pediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Care Setting. Pediatrics 2022; 150:189658. [PMID: 36189487 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-059674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Patient safety is the foundation of high-quality health care and remains a critical priority for all clinicians caring for children. There are numerous aspects of pediatric care that increase the risk of patient harm, including but not limited to risk from medication errors attributable to weight-dependent dosing and need for appropriate equipment and training. Of note, the majority of children who are ill and injured are brought to community hospital emergency departments. It is, therefore, imperative that all emergency departments practice patient safety principles, support a culture of safety, and adopt best practices to improve safety for all children seeking emergency care. This technical report outlined the challenges and resources necessary to minimize pediatric medical errors and to provide safe medical care for children of all ages in emergency care settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeline M Joseph
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville, University of Florida Health Sciences Center-Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Prashant Mahajan
- Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Sally K Snow
- Independent Consultant in Pediatric Emergency and Trauma Nursing; Graham, Texas
| | - Brandon C Ku
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Mohsen Saidinejad
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-University of California Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Optimizing Pediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Care Setting. Ann Emerg Med 2022; 80:e83-e92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.08.456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
6
|
Joseph MM, Mahajan P, Snow SK, Ku BC, Saidinejad M. Optimizing Pediatric Patient Safety in the Emergency Care Setting. Pediatrics 2022; 150:189657. [PMID: 36189490 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2022-059673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
This is a revision of the previous American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement titled "Patient Safety in the Emergency Care Setting," and is the first joint policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Emergency Physicians, and the Emergency Nurses Association to address pediatric patient safety in the emergency care setting. Caring for children in the emergency setting can be prone to medical errors because of a number of environmental and human factors. The emergency department (ED) has frequent workflow interruptions, multiple care transitions, and barriers to effective communication. In addition, the high volume of patients, high-decision density under time pressure, diagnostic uncertainty, and limited knowledge of patients' history and preexisting conditions make the safe care of critically ill and injured patients even more challenging. It is critical that all EDs, including general EDs who care for the majority of ill and injured children, understand the unique safety issues related to children. Furthermore, it is imperative that all EDs practice patient safety principles, support a culture of safety, and adopt best practices to improve safety for all children seeking emergency care. This policy statement outlines the recommendations necessary for EDs to minimize pediatric medical errors and to provide safe care for children of all ages.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Madeline M Joseph
- Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, University of Florida Health Sciences Center, Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
| | - Prashant Mahajan
- Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | - Sally K Snow
- Independent Consultant in Pediatric Emergency and Trauma Nursing
| | - Brandon C Ku
- Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Mohsen Saidinejad
- The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Raskas MD, Feuerstein-Mendik GJ, Gerlacher G, Cohen S, Henning S, Cramer JM, Sultan O, Iqbal SF. Epidemiology of 30,000 Pediatric Urgent Care Telemedicine Visits in the Era of COVID-19. Telemed J E Health 2022; 28:1404-1411. [PMID: 35172122 PMCID: PMC9587793 DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2021.0482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: To describe the epidemiology of patients accessing a pediatric urgent care telemedicine platform during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional study of the first 30,000 pediatric patients who accessed our pediatric urgent care telemedicine platform during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study population came from 15 states and included the dates May 15 through September 16, 2020. We also described the groups of patients referred for in-person evaluation in urgent care or emergency department (ED) settings. Results: Mean patient age was 7.6 ± 5.4 years and 51% of patients were male. Twenty-one percent were publicly insured. More than 60% of patients sought care between 12 and 7 p.m. The most common reasons for seeking care were concerns for COVID-19 (50.5%) and fever (6.8%). Antibiotics were prescribed in 4.3% of visits. Children had an in-person visit to our urgent care offices on the same day in 9% of visits. Less than 1% of children were referred to the ED. Conclusions: In this large series of telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer than 10% required escalation to an in-person office visit and fewer than 1% required escalation to an ED.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mordechai D Raskas
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Gabriel J Feuerstein-Mendik
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA.,Program in Public Health Studies, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Gary Gerlacher
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sheryl Cohen
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA
| | - Shannon Henning
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA
| | - Jennifer M Cramer
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ora Sultan
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sabah F Iqbal
- Division of Telemedicine, PM Pediatrics, Lake Success, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Sauers-Ford HS, Aboagye JB, Henderson S, Marcin JP, Rosenthal JL. Disconnection in Information Exchange During Pediatric Trauma Transfers: A Qualitative Study. J Patient Exp 2021; 8:23743735211056513. [PMID: 34869838 PMCID: PMC8640298 DOI: 10.1177/23743735211056513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Pediatric patients experiencing an emergency department (ED) visit for a traumatic injury often transfer from the referring ED to a pediatric trauma center. This qualitative study sought to evaluate the experience of information exchange during pediatric trauma visits to referring EDs from the perspectives of parents and referring and accepting clinicians through semi-structured interviews. Twenty-five interviews were conducted (10 parents and 15 clinicians) and analyzed through qualitative thematic analysis. A 4-person team collaboratively identified codes, wrote memos, developed major themes, and discussed theoretical concepts. Three interdependent themes emerged: (1) Parents’ and clinicians’ distinct experiences result in a disconnect of information exchange needs; (2) systems factors inhibit effective information exchange and amplify the disconnect; and (3) situational context disrupts the flow of information contributing to the disconnect. Individual-, situational-, and systems-level factors contribute to disconnects in the information exchanged between parents and clinicians. Understanding how these factors’ influence information disconnect may offer avenues for improving patient–clinician communication in trauma transfers.
Collapse
|
9
|
Davoodi NM, Chen K, Zou M, Li M, Jiménez F, Wetle TF, Goldberg EM. Emergency physician perspectives on using telehealth with older adults during COVID-19: A qualitative study. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2021; 2:e12577. [PMID: 34693401 PMCID: PMC8516338 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.12577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Revised: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Emergency medicine physicians have played a pivotal role throughout the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic through in-person and remote management and treatment. Our primary objectives were to understand emergency medicine physicians' experiences using telehealth throughout the pandemic, any facilitators/barriers to successful usage, lessons learned during implementation, and successful/abandoned strategies used to engage with older adults. METHODS Using a semi-structured interview guide, we conducted 30-min interviews. We used purposeful sampling to recruit emergency medicine physicians from all United States regions, rural-urban settings, and academic and community practices, who reported caring for patients 65 years or older in-person or virtually during the pandemic. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, double-coded, and analyzed for emergent themes using framework analysis. RESULTS A total of 15 in-depth interviews were completed from September to November 2020. Physicians had a median age of 37 years, 7 were women, and 9 had experience with telehealth before the pandemic. We identified several themes: (1) there were various motivations for telehealth use; (2) telehealth was used primarily to supplement, not replace in-person care; (3) most platforms were easy to use; (4) patients and caregivers had high acceptability of telemedicine; and (5) older adults with sensory and cognitive impairments often relied on caregivers. Emergency medicine physicians played a critical role during primary care office closures during the first wave-dispelling misinformation about COVID-19, triaging patients to testing and treatment, and providing care that would otherwise have been deferred. CONCLUSIONS Our data show that telemedicine gained acceptability among emergency medicine physicians and provided options to patients who may have otherwise deferred care. These findings can inform future healthcare delivery for acute care needs or pandemic responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kevin Chen
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Maria Zou
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Melinda Li
- The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Frances Jiménez
- School of Public HealthBrown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Terrie Fox Wetle
- Department of Health Services, Policy, and PracticeBrown University School of Public HealthProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
- Center for Gerontology and Healthcare ResearchBrown University School of Public HealthProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Elizabeth M. Goldberg
- Department of Health Services, Policy, and PracticeBrown University School of Public HealthProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
- Department of Emergency MedicineThe Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown UniversityProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| |
Collapse
|