ArticleJournal of the American Geriatrics Society2021
Telehealth was beneficial during COVID-19 for older Americans: A qualitative study with physicians.
Article in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Telephone and Smartphone-Based Interventions for Cognitive and Cardio-Metabolic Health in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Clinical interventions in aging · 2022Pooled it
- Service continuity of community-based health and social care organisations in times of disaster and health emergencies: a mapping review.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Participatory Approach to Program Sustainment: Example From a Multisite National Geriatrics Telemedicine Program.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Nephrologist Perspectives on Using Telemedicine During In-Center Hemodialysis: A Qualitative Study.American journal of kidney diseases : the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation · 2025Article
- The role of telemedicine in enhancing palliative care for older adults: opportunities and challenges.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Article
- Expanding the reach of a fall prevention intervention for older adult emergency department patients through telehealth: a trial protocol.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Primary care team characteristics associated with video use: a retrospective national study at the Veterans Health Administration.BMC primary care · 2024Article
- Racial and ethnic differences in telemedicine use among community-dwelling older adults with dementia.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2024Article
- An Exploration of Dutch Dermatologists' Experience and Satisfaction With Teledermatology: Sociotechnical and Complex Adaptive System Perspective.JMIR dermatology · 2024Article
- Implementation of Video-Based Care in Interdisciplinary Primary Care Settings at the Veterans Health Administration: Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- The Development and Use of a New Visual Tool (REVISIT) to Support Participant Recall: Web-Based Interview Study Among Older Adults.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Patient Perceived Impact of Outpatient Group Substance Use Disorder Treatment in a Hybrid Model or Virtual-Only Model Relative to In-Person Delivery.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Telemedicine in war zones: prospects, barriers, and meeting the needs of special populations.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Understanding the experiences of PHC nurses in caring for older patients in the post-fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory qualitative study.Frontiers in public health · 2024Article
- Policy and practices in primary care that supported the provision and receipt of care for older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative case study in three Canadian provinces.BMC primary care · 2023Article
- Telemedicine Visits in US Skilled Nursing Facilities.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- General Practitioners' Perspectives About Remote Dermatology Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Netherlands: Questionnaire-Based Study.JMIR dermatology · 2023Article
- Identifying emergency department patients with life-limiting illnesses may be getting a little easier.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2023Article
- Teamwork Management and Benefit of Telemedicine in COVID-19 Outbreak Control on an Offshore Vessel in the Gulf of Thailand, Songkhla Province, Thailand: A Case Report.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIndividuals aged 65 and older face unique barriers to adoption of telehealth, and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has provided a "natural experiment" in how to meet the health needs of older patients remotely. Physician perspectives on practical considerations surrounding telehealth adoption, motivations of use, and reasons for nonuse are necessary to inform the future of healthcare delivery. The objective is to understand the experiences of physicians using telemedicine for older patients.
methodsFrom September to November 2020, we conducted 30-min semi-structured interviews using purposeful sampling to identify and enroll participants from diverse settings. We included 48 U.S.-based physicians (geriatrician, n = 18, primary care, n = 15, emergency, n = 15) from all geographic regions, rural-urban and academic/community settings. Audio-recorded interviews were professionally transcribed and analyzed using framework analysis. Major themes and subthemes were identified.
resultsParticipants had a median (interquartile range) age of 37.5 (34-44.5), 27 (56%) were women. Five major themes emerged: (1) telehealth uptake was rapid and iterative, (2) telehealth improved the safety of medical care, (3) use cases were specialty-specific (for geriatricians and primary care physicians telehealth substituted for in-person visits; for emergency physicians it primarily supplemented in-person visits), (4) physicians altered clinical care to overcome older patient barriers to telehealth use, and (5) telehealth use among physicians declined in mid-April 2020, due primarily to patient needs and administrator preferences, not physician factors.
conclusionIn this qualitative analysis, physicians reported a rapid, iterative uptake of telehealth and attenuation of use as coronavirus disease 2019 prevalence declined. Physician experiences during the pandemic can inform interventions and policies to help buoy telehealth for ongoing healthcare delivery and ensure its accessibility for older Americans.
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