Open AccessBridging the Telemedicine Gap Among Seniors During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s) -
Lynn M Utley,
Grace S Manchala,
Mark J Phillips,
Chirag Doshi,
Victoria L Szatalowicz,
Jennifer R Boozer
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of patient experience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2374-3743
pISSN - 2374-3735
DOI - 10.1177/23743735211014036
Subject(s) - telemedicine , pandemic , covid-19 , bridging (networking) , phone , medical emergency , medicine , android (operating system) , internet privacy , multimedia , computer science , health care , computer security , political science , linguistics , philosophy , disease , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , law , operating system
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many senior patients in the USC-Keck Family Medicine clinics were limited or lacking in telemedicine participation. Three factors contributed: lack of video-enabled devices, technological literacy, and/or absence of Wi-Fi connectivity. We addressed the first 2 of these factors. Via phone contact, 9 patients agreed to receive donated Android or Apple devices and to trial instruction manuals for use. Donated equipment and instructions were prepared and delivered in accordance with pandemic guidelines. Follow-up calls indicated that 4 participants were able to set up their devices and 3 of whom had connected with their providers. The remaining 5 participants had not set up their devices by the end of the follow-up period, had difficulty with device setup, accessing applications necessary for telemedicine, or had limited access to Wi-Fi. This project highlights some telemedicine barriers that senior patients may overcome with the additional support of care providers.