Traditional, physical face to face prescribing has its limitations and so too does prescribing online. The former can be extremely difficult to access and the latter might be too easy to access for patients who prescription shop. However, in recent years since the boom of telehealth there has been more retrospective data to analyse.
Telemedicine leaves behind non-English speakers
In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with limited English had difficulty accessing telehealth services in the United States, according to a new analysis1. This is something that experts fear as healthcare organizations move from personal to virtual care.
In the study, researchers interviewed staff and patients at two California community health centers about their telehealth experiences between December 2020 and April 2021. No video or telephone visits were offered before the pandemic broke out, then both began to be used shortly after California home orders in March 2020 – first via phone calls, then via video.
The researchers spoke to 15 clinic staff and nine patients. Researchers have found that patients in English-limited clinics have difficulty setting up and using platforms such as Zoom for medical visits. “Things like the inability to read the FAQ,” the researcher said. “There is confidence in the clinic’s staff, staff and family members – such as children who help their parents connect with the videos.”
References
1Telemedicine implementation and use in community health centers during COVID-19: Clinic personnel and patient perspectives, accessed on 25th February 2022 via: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321522000166
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