Telemedicine Gains More Ground During COVID-19
A recent survey conducted by Doximity found that US physician and patient adoption of telemedicine is quickly rising amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The health care industry has recently been experiencing an unpreceded increase in the use of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic as it is a safe and effective way to deliver non-emergency care outside of a physician office.
To get a better understanding of the evolving role of telemedicine in America, Doximity recently asked 2000 adults—half who reported having a chronic condition—about their attitudes and preferences towards telemedicine starting in July 2020 as well as telemedicine adoption among US physicians on the Doximity network. Find out the key takeaways for primary care physicians in the slides below.
Before COVID-19, most patients had not used telemedicine:
● 14% of patients had used telemedicine at least once; 86% had never used it.
● 35% of patients with a chronic condition had used telemedicine at least once.
COVID-19 has driven US patient adoption of telemedicine:
● The number of patients who reported having participated in at least 1 telehealth visit since COVID-19 began increased by 57%; increased by 77% among those with chronic illness.
● 23% plan to use telehealth after the pandemic.
● 27% feel more comfortable using telemedicine since the pandemic.
Quality of care same or better with telemedicine vs in-person:
● 28% of patients said they feel telemedicine is the same or better quality of care vs in-person doctor visits.
● 53% of those with chronic illness feel it is the same or better.
Patients prefer cell phones for telemedicine visits:
● 45% of patients ranked cell phones as their preferred device for conducting telemedicine visits; 39% preferred laptops.
More physicians listing “telemedicine” as a skill: Between 2019 and 2020, the yearly growth rate in physicians listing "telemedicine" as a skill was 38% vs 20% between 2015 and 2018.
Top 5 states adopting telemedicine:
1. Massachusetts
2. North Carolina
3. New Jersey
4. Maryland
5. Illinois
Top 5 specialties using telemedicine:
1. Endocrinology
2. Rheumatology
3. Gastroenterology
4. Nephrology
5. Cardiology
