Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient Population
Background: Telehealth has untapped potential to improve health care for underserved communities. However, it remains underutilized, limiting opportunities to improve continuity of care and health care outcomes. This pilot study investigates attitudes and barriers to telehealth at Stony Brook HOME,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Mary Ann Liebert
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Telemedicine Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0036 |
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| author | Ashna Raiker Meenu Johnkutty Ambar Ruiz Jedan Phillips Melissa J. Earle |
| author_facet | Ashna Raiker Meenu Johnkutty Ambar Ruiz Jedan Phillips Melissa J. Earle |
| author_sort | Ashna Raiker |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Telehealth has untapped potential to improve health care for underserved communities. However, it remains underutilized, limiting opportunities to improve continuity of care and health care outcomes. This pilot study investigates attitudes and barriers to telehealth at Stony Brook HOME, Renaissance School of Medicine’s student-run free-health clinic in Suffolk County, NY. Methods: Surveys (n = 100) were electronically administered bimonthly during clinic waiting room time from May 2022 to August 2023 in both English (40%) and Spanish (60%). Surveys collected information on patient demographics, perceived patient barriers and attitudes to telehealth, and technological comfort levels. Results: Most patients were Hispanic/Latino (68%), female (54%), and 40–60 years old (52%). Spanish speakers often come from high social vulnerability regions. English speakers were more likely to own a smartphone, computer, or tablet than Spanish speakers (p = 0.046). English speakers reported higher levels of technological comfort using a smartphone or tablet (p = 0.0033) and using it for their health care (p = 0.03). Finally, 100% of English speakers reported reliable internet access compared to 66.7% of Spanish speakers. Discussion: These results demonstrate that barriers to telehealth are being disproportionately felt by Spanish speakers, thus necessitating survey-directed interventions to address this disparity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-91029f4e70e742efa2b2bad90083c072 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2692-4366 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Mary Ann Liebert |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Telemedicine Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-91029f4e70e742efa2b2bad90083c0722025-08-20T01:50:53ZengMary Ann LiebertTelemedicine Reports2692-43662024-04-015126326810.1089/tmr.2024.0036Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient PopulationAshna Raiker0Meenu Johnkutty1Ambar Ruiz2Jedan Phillips3Melissa J. Earle4Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.Renaissance School of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.Department of Family, Population, and Preventative Medicine, Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook, New York, USA.Stony Brook School of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA.Background: Telehealth has untapped potential to improve health care for underserved communities. However, it remains underutilized, limiting opportunities to improve continuity of care and health care outcomes. This pilot study investigates attitudes and barriers to telehealth at Stony Brook HOME, Renaissance School of Medicine’s student-run free-health clinic in Suffolk County, NY. Methods: Surveys (n = 100) were electronically administered bimonthly during clinic waiting room time from May 2022 to August 2023 in both English (40%) and Spanish (60%). Surveys collected information on patient demographics, perceived patient barriers and attitudes to telehealth, and technological comfort levels. Results: Most patients were Hispanic/Latino (68%), female (54%), and 40–60 years old (52%). Spanish speakers often come from high social vulnerability regions. English speakers were more likely to own a smartphone, computer, or tablet than Spanish speakers (p = 0.046). English speakers reported higher levels of technological comfort using a smartphone or tablet (p = 0.0033) and using it for their health care (p = 0.03). Finally, 100% of English speakers reported reliable internet access compared to 66.7% of Spanish speakers. Discussion: These results demonstrate that barriers to telehealth are being disproportionately felt by Spanish speakers, thus necessitating survey-directed interventions to address this disparity.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0036telehealthuninsuredCOVID-19health care disparities |
| spellingShingle | Ashna Raiker Meenu Johnkutty Ambar Ruiz Jedan Phillips Melissa J. Earle Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient Population Telemedicine Reports telehealth uninsured COVID-19 health care disparities |
| title | Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient Population |
| title_full | Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient Population |
| title_fullStr | Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient Population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient Population |
| title_short | Exploring Barriers Toward Telehealth in an Underserved, Uninsured Patient Population |
| title_sort | exploring barriers toward telehealth in an underserved uninsured patient population |
| topic | telehealth uninsured COVID-19 health care disparities |
| url | https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0036 |
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