Genetics, Behavioral Health Pediatric Subspecialists Use Telehealth Most

When comparing the use of telehealth among different pediatric subspecialties, a JAMA Network Open study found that pediatric telehealth use was inconsistent across subspecialties, with genetics and behavioral health subspecialists using the care modality the most.

The study included 549,306 patients, representing a total of 1.8 million visits from eight pediatric medical groups from the Children’s Specialty Care Coalition (CSCC). There were 11 different subspecialties, including cardiology, orthopedics, urology, nephrology, dermatology, genetics, behavioral health, pulmonology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, and neurology. The study period began Jan. 1, 2019, and ended Dec. 31, 2021.

Aside from collecting data regarding in-person and telehealth visits, researchers also noted no-show rates and demographic information along with differentiation before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among subspecialties that used telehealth less frequently, like cardiology, orthopedics, and urology, the utilization rate was 6 percent to 29 percent. Among those that used telehealth at a higher rate, such as genetics, behavioral health, and pulmonology, virtual visit utilization ranged from 38.8 percent to 73 percent.

Researchers also observed that no-show rates increased during the pandemic among all subspecialties, regardless of the level of telehealth use.

Additionally, Hispanic patients and patients who spoke in a primary language other than English were less likely to participate in a telehealth visit. For example, non-English speaking patients made up only 11.4 percent of neurological visits conducted virtually as compared with 22.2 percent of in-patient visits.

From this data, researchers concluded that telehealth use among pediatric patients was inconsistent among different subspecialties. This was likely due to varying access levels to technology and barriers that arose from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers noted several limitations to the study, primarily centered on the lack of subjective analyses and differentiation between audio and video visits, but concluded that "the documentation of variation in telehealth adoption can inform evolving telehealth policy for pediatric patients."

Research has shown that telehealth enhanced healthcare for children, especially during the pandemic.

Researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that using telehealth in pediatric care could improve outcomes, decrease emergency department visits, and decrease expenses. Researchers stated that telehealth utilization continuously grew between 2018 and 2020, going from 10 telehealth visits to 55.

Various studies have also indicated differences in telehealth use, including among people from different backgrounds.

A recent study published in The Oncologist concluded that low-income, older, Black, male cancer patients were the least likely to use video-based telehealth. This may be due to the limited technological resources this population has access to and the need for in-person services for cancer treatment.

Another recent report published by Trilliant Health found that young women were the most likely to use telehealth. The report claimed that most of the people who use telehealth during the pandemic are young women searching for behavioral healthcare services.