ArticleBMC medical informatics and decision making2024
Telehealth to increase healthcare access; perspectives of people who use drugs.
Article in BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05794984 (Targeted Focus Groups Discussions), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Targeted Focus Groups Discussions (FGDs) and Cross-sectional Questionnaire to Address Questions Regarding Telemedicine Concept and Knowledge, and Social Media Usage Among People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) in Greece
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effectiveness of Telemedicine Interventions on Motor and Nonmotor Outcomes in Parkinson Disease: Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Nurse-led telemedicine versus in-person lactation support for breastfeeding initiation in mothers of low-birth-weight infants: a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Trial
- Long-Term Benefits Following Hepatitis C Cure Through Facilitated Telemedicine; Experiences of People With Opioid use Disorder Five Years After Achieving a Sustained Virological Response.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2025Article
- Facilitated Telemedicine as a Patient-Centered, Sociotechnical Intervention to Integrate Hepatitis C Treatment Into Opioid Treatment Programs and Overcome the Digital Divide Among Underserved Populations: Qualitative Study.JMIR public health and surveillance · 2025Article
- Considerations for equitable distribution of digital healthcare for people who use drugs.BMC health services research · 2025Observational
- Breaking the vicious cycle of delayed healthcare seeking for people who use drugs.Harm reduction journal · 2025Article
- Telehealth Disparities in Outpatient Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment among Medicaid Beneficiaries during COVID-19.Substance use & misuse · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPeople who use drugs (PWUD) often face restricted healthcare access despite their heightened healthcare needs. Factors such as stigma, mistrust of the healthcare system, competing priorities, and geographical barriers pose significant healthcare access challenges. Telehealth offers an innovative solution to expand healthcare access for better inclusion of underserved populations in healthcare. We aimed to explore PWUDs' perceptions of telehealth as a healthcare delivery modality.
methodsWe utilized purposive sampling to recruit participants (N = 57) for nine focus group discussions (FGDs) in Athens, Greece. Eligibility criteria required participants to be at least 18 years, with current or prior injection drug use, and current internet access. The FGDs followed a semi-structured interview guide, were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated into English, and de-identified. We applied thematic analysis to analyze FGD transcripts.
resultsParticipants' mean (standard deviation) age was 47.9 (8.9) years, 89.5% (51/57) were male, 91.2% (52/57) were of Greek origin, and 61.4% (35/57) had attended at least 10 years of school. Three main themes emerged from the FGDs: (1) high internet utilization for healthcare-related purposes among PWUD, (2) highlighting telehealth benefits despite access obstacles and PWUDs' concerns about diagnostic accuracy, and (3) approaches to overcome access obstacles and build digital trust. Participants extensively used the internet for healthcare-related processes, such as accessing healthcare information and scheduling provider appointments. Despite being telehealth-inexperienced, most participants expressed a strong willingness to embrace telehealth due to its perceived convenience, time-saving nature, and trusted digital environment. Some participants recognized that the inability to conduct physical examinations through telehealth reduces its diagnostic accuracy, while others expressed concerns about digital literacy and technological infrastructure accessibility. Most participants expressed a preference for video-based telehealth encounters over audio-only encounters. To build trust in telehealth and promote patient-centeredness, participants recommended an initial in-person visit, virtual eye contact during telehealth encounters, patient education, and partnerships with PWUD-supportive community organizations equipped with appropriate infrastructure.
conclusionsPWUD frequently use the internet for health-related purposes and suggested several approaches to enhance virtual trust. Their insights and suggestions are practical guidance for policymakers seeking to enhance healthcare access for underserved populations through telehealth.
trial registrationNCT05794984.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.