Nemours Survey: Parents Like Telehealth, But More Need to Be Convinced to Use It

The pandemic has proven the value of telehealth to parents, according to a recent survey by Nemours Children’s Health. But it has also highlighted the need to continue emphasizing the value of virtual visits to overcome barriers to care and improve health and wellness.

A survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted earlier this year in conjunction with Amwell found that while 35 percent of parents used telehealth prior to the COVID-19 crisis (based on a 2017 survey), that percentage jumped to 77 percent during the pandemic. In addition, almost 80 percent have accessed pediatric telehealth services, compared to 35 percent before the pandemic.

Overall, the survey reports, more than 60 percent of parents want to continue using connected health services after the pandemic – including almost 30 percent of parents who hadn’t used any telehealth in the past.

“While one might expect that factors such as income or access to technology are barriers to telehealth, this survey underscores how telehealth proved to be a viable solution to expanding access and reducing disparities in providing timely care during COVID-19,” R. Lawrence Moss, MD, president and CEO of Nemours Children’s Health System, said in a press release. “Regulations that were eased during the pandemic need to become permanent to support telehealth access for the long-term. Telehealth can be part of building health equity among people experiencing social, economic and family challenges.”

As with so many surveys taken during the past year and a half, telehealth use has skyrocketed as care providers have looked to reduce in-person services and worried patients seek to access care from their homes. The results bode well for the integration of telehealth services and in-person care into a hybrid platform once the pandemic has passed.

That’s especially true for parents, who may have shied away from telehealth before the crisis because they didn’t trust putting their children’s health online. Now that many have tried out the platform, they’re more comfortable using it.

But these surveys also shine a light on the barriers that parents face accessing healthcare. Roughly half are hindered by at least one SDOH in getting to the pediatrician, such as lacking employment or transportation or living in an area that makes getting to the doctor’s office difficult or even dangerous. Almost 30 percent face two barriers and 15 percent face three or more.

Interestingly, parents who have encountered barriers to access are more likely to have never used telehealth, according to the survey – but they’re also more likely to use telehealth once given the chance to try it out.

While telehealth may be seen as the answer to those problems, it has barriers of its own. Some 70 percent of parents surveyed have concerns about accessing care through virtual channels, with more than 30 percent either lacking access to the technology or lacking the knowledge to use it.

Cost of care is a significant barrier as well. More than 50 percent of parents surveyed face challenges paying for care, and roughly 64 percent say they’ll likely only use video visits in the future if they’re covered by insurance.

While telehealth advocates are hoping that pandemic-era policies and laws that expanded coverage of and access to telehealth will be made permanent, the survey points to a need to continue educating both providers and patients about telehealth. Roughly 28 percent of the parents surveyed said they don’t use telehealth because it hasn’t been offered to them, 12 percent said they’ve never heard of it, and more than 40 percent said they don’t see the need to use it. Another 8 percent say it’s not offered by their provider, health plan or employer.

“Despite the dramatic increase in telehealth usage and awareness, providers still play a critical role in patient education and furthering virtual care adoption,” Mia Finkelston, MD, Amwell’s senior medical director, said in the release. “We believe that patients will listen to their doctors and that it’s vital for providers to not only introduce telehealth, but to use it in an ongoing way to provide quality care.”

So while parents are using telehealth now, while COVID-19 is a threat, that momentum needs to continue. For now, they’re using the platform for well-child visits (35 percent), urgent care (34 percent) and prescription renewals (30 percent). But they aren’t using telehealth as much for follow-up care (28 percent) or mental health services (21 percent), two healthcare services that need to be highlighted as appropriate for virtual care.

There are other benefits to note as well. According to the survey, almost 90 percent of parents indicate telehealth would allow them to be more involved in their child’s healthcare when compared to in-person care, a strong indicator that telehealth and remote monitoring services integrated into a family’s daily activities might promote more attention to health and wellness.