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For researchers
Discover telehealth research studies funded through Health and Human Services (HHS).
Research Spotlight
National Survey Trends in Telehealth Use in 2021: Disparities in Utilization and Audio vs. Video Services
This report analyzes national trends in telehealth utilization and how use of video-enabled vs. audio-only telehealth services differ across patient populations. Read More
Behavioral health
Read studies and guides on the importance and effectiveness of telehealth in treating mental health and substance use disorders, including access and insurance coverage.
Emergency health
Review research on the expansion of emergency telehealth and the outcomes for patients living in rural areas or without access to in-person emergency care.
Health equity
Read studies on the logistics and success of bringing telehealth care to rural communities, urban centers, and underserved populations.
HIV/AIDS
Review the role of telehealth across the full spectrum of HIV/AIDS care, from prevention to testing to treatment.
Maternal health
Read studies on the many ways maternal telehealth can help pregnant and postpartum women and their babies get access to care and remote monitoring for hypertension, weight control, and lactation.
Medicare and Medicaid
Review studies about how telehealth impacts Medicare and Medicaid.
Remote patient monitoring
Review outcomes for using telehealth to monitor serious conditions, such as hypertension and post-operative wound care.
School-based health
Learn how telehealth in schools has served students and families by bridging the healthcare gap during COVID-19, managing chronic conditions, and eliminating barriers to health care access.
Telehealth experience
Review studies that examine how patients and health care providers interact with and respond to telehealth.
Workforce development
Read studies on the use of telehealth in growing access to health care education and career opportunities, especially in rural or underserved communities.
Behavioral health
Employing telehealth within HIV care: advantages, challenges, and recommendations
While the COVID-19 pandemic added new challenges within the medical field, it also presented new opportunities, such as catalyzing the implementation of telehealth within spaces that offer care for people living with HIV, substance use disorders, and various behavioral health problems.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders
This guide reviews the research on the effectiveness of using telehealth for serious mental illness and substance abuse disorders. It makes recommendations for practice and provides examples of how practitioners use these practices in their programs.
Behavioral health
Telehealth Use in a Rural State: A Mixed Methods Study Using Maine's All-Payer Claims Database
The expansion of telehealth in Maine is partly driven by Medicare patients. This research suggests telehealth is improving access to behavioral health and speech-language pathology. Telehealth is limited, however, by access problems including provider shortages, lack of broadband, and other insurance coverage like Medicare and commercial policies.
Behavioral health Health equity Medicare and Medicaid
Telebehavioral Health Use Among Rural Medicaid Beneficiaries: Relationships with Telehealth Policies
This study examines Medicaid telehealth policies and telebehavioral health use among rural fee-for-service (FFS) patients. It finds that rural Medicaid FFS beneficiaries may have better access to telebehavioral health services when they give informed consent in a provider setting.
Behavioral health Health equity Medicare and Medicaid Telehealth experience
Tele-Emergency Behavioral Health in Rural and Underserved Areas
Severe shortages of behavioral health specialists in rural and underserved areas make placing patients in appropriate facilities difficult. This paper describes two different emergency departments in the Midwest using telemedicine to address behavioral health access and placement for patients in rural and underserved areas. Findings suggest that transfer to in-patient facilities was much higher in both models when using telemedicine.
Behavioral health Emergency health
Development of a tailored, telehealth intervention to address chronic pain and heavy drinking among people with HIV infection: integrating perspectives of patients in HIV care
Chronic pain and heavy drinking commonly co-occur and can influence the course of HIV, but there have been no interventions designed to address both conditions among people living with HIV. This study aims to better understand pain symptoms, patterns of alcohol use, treatment experiences, and technology use in order to tailor a telehealth intervention that will address all these conditions.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
Telehealth and texting intervention to improve HIV care engagement, mental health and substance use outcomes in youth living with HIV: a pilot feasibility and acceptability study protocol
This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary clinical outcomes of a 12-session telehealth counseling series provided to young adults living with HIV that will include education, motivational enhancement and problem-solving around HIV care, mental health, substance use, and other challenges.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
Cell Phone Counseling Improves Retention of Mothers With HIV Infection in Care and Infant HIV Testing in Kisumu, Kenya: A Randomized Controlled Study
This study shows the effectiveness of cell phone counseling to keep pregnant women with HIV in care in Kisumu, Kenya. Phone counseling helps reach and retain pregnant women with HIV infection and postpartum mothers in care. It also improved infant HIV testing and antenatal and postnatal care services.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS Maternal health
Feasibility and acceptability of an online positive affect intervention for those living with comorbid HIV depression
This article presents pilot data of using an online intervention to improve the outlook of people living with both HIV and depression. The intervention was rated well by patients and was shown to be both acceptable and feasible to use.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
A Mobile Application for Monitoring and Management of Depressed Mood in a Vulnerable Pregnant Population
This study tested whether a mood tracking and alert mobile application (MTA app) improved mental health care in high-risk pregnant mothers. The MTA app monitored activity, mood, and alerted providers to signs of worsening symptoms. Women who received a telephone call triggered by an MTA app alert were significantly more likely to receive a mental health specialist referral.
Behavioral health Maternal health
Using Telehealth to Identify and Manage Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Conditions in Rural Areas
Access to behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment services is difficult in rural and other underserved areas due in part to the lack of specialty providers. Other challenges include primary care providers without experience in behavioral health treatment and individuals from smaller communities fearing stigma and lack of privacy. Telehealth can ease these challenges and support behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment through direct patient care, patient engagement, and provider education.
Behavioral health
The Empirical Evidence for Telemedicine Interventions in Mental Disorders
Telemedicine in behavioral health may improve access to services amidst the critical shortage of mental health professionals. This article reviews the research literature to assess how successful, feasible and cost-effective the use of telemedicine may be in the treatment of mental disorders.
Behavioral health
Emergency health
Medicare Beneficiaries’ Use of Telehealth in 2020: Trends by Beneficiary Characteristics and Location
This research report examines changes in Medicare fee-for-service Part B visits and the use of telehealth in 2020 during the COVID-19 public health emergency by beneficiary characteristics, provider specialty, and location.
Emergency health Medicare and Medicaid
Evaluation of an Intrahospital Telemedicine Program for Patients Admitted With COVID-19: Mixed Methods Study
In this study, virtual care was associated with reductions in personal protective equipment use, reductions in COVID-19 exposure risk, and patient and provider satisfaction.
Emergency health
HRSA's Evidence-Based Tele-Emergency Network Grant Program: Multi-site Prospective Cohort Analysis Across Six Rural Emergency Department Telemedicine Networks
Six rural hospital systems received grants from HRSA to study how their emergency telehealth departments affect outcomes for patients. Telehealth was often the patient’s first point of contact and usually resulted in a transfer to a distant hospital or local inpatient facility. Findings suggest that emergency telehealth plays an important role in improving access for rural emergency patients.
Emergency health Health equity
Averted Transfers in Rural Emergency Departments Using Telemedicine: Rates and Costs Across Six TeleED Networks
Using telemedicine in rural emergency departments saved an average of $2,673 per patient by avoiding transport costs. The majority of the cost savings went to public insurance.
Emergency health
Emergency Department Telemedicine Consults are Associated with Faster Time-to-ECG and Time-to-Fibrinolysis for Myocardial Infarction Patients
Heart attack is a common and deadly event that requires treatment as soon as possible. Telemedicine can improve how quickly heart attacks are diagnosed and treated in rural hospitals.
Emergency health Health equity
Provider-to-Provider Telemedicine Improves Adherence to Sepsis Bundle Care in Community Emergency Departments
Sepsis occurs when an infection reaches the bloodstream and getting care quickly improves the chances of survival. In this study, telemedicine in the emergency department improved the rates of adhering to the sepsis treatment protocol. The timely replacement of fluids and the administration of antibiotics greatly improved sepsis care at rural community hospitals.
Emergency health Health equity
Emergency Department Telemedicine Consults Decrease Time to Interpret Computed Tomography of the Head in a Multi-Network Cohort
A study of emergency telemedicine (tele-ED) for stroke care in four tele-ED networks. Tele-ED was associated with decreased time to diagnostic imaging interpretation and time to thrombolytic medication.
Emergency health
Tele-Emergency Behavioral Health in Rural and Underserved Areas
Severe shortages of behavioral health specialists in rural and underserved areas make placing patients in appropriate facilities difficult. This paper describes two different emergency departments in the Midwest using telemedicine to address behavioral health access and placement for patients in rural and underserved areas. Findings suggest that transfer to in-patient facilities was much higher in both models when using telemedicine.
Behavioral health Emergency health
Pediatric tele-emergency care: A study of two delivery models
The study evaluates two tele-emergency department programs for pediatric patients with different designs, one general and one specialized. The study shows design choices affect how programs are evaluated and highlights the challenge of creating standard metrics.
Emergency health
Implementation Strategies for Telestroke: A Qualitative Study of Telestroke Networks in North Carolina
This study examines the adoption decision process and strategies employed during telestroke network development, implementation, and sustainability.
Emergency health
Telestroke Adoption Among Community Hospitals in North Carolina: A Cross-Sectional Study
Telestroke is the use of telemedicine in stroke care. This study identifies community and hospital characteristics associated with adoption of telestroke among acute care hospitals in North Carolina.
Emergency health
Telemedicine Use Decreases Rural Emergency Department Length of Stay for Transferred North Dakota Trauma Patients
Emergency department telemedicine consults for trauma patients were associated with faster hospital transfers and the increased use of radiography.
Emergency health Health equity
Health equity
Child Health, Vulnerability, and Complexity: Use of Telehealth to Enhance Care for Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs
Telehealth has the potential to improve the quality of care, particularly deficiencies related to access and patient experience of care for children and youth with special health care needs and reduce disparities related to accessing in-person care.
Health equity Remote patient monitoring
National Survey Trends in Telehealth Use in 2021: Disparities in Utilization and Audio vs. Video Services
This report analyzes national trends in telehealth utilization and how use of video-enabled vs. audio-only telehealth services differ across patient populations. The study finds notable disparities by race, ethnicity, income, age, and insurance status in access to video-enabled telehealth.
Health equity Telehealth experience
Transitioning from Face to Face to the Digital Space: Best Practices and Lessons Learned Leveraging Technology to Conduct HIV-Focused Interventions
Although telehealth has been an important strategy to maintain research operations during the current pandemic, participants at increased risk of or living with HIV are often at higher risk of also experiencing poverty, housing instability, and other challenges that may present obstacles to successful remote delivery. Telemedicine procedures must address barriers to remote participation, such as health literacy and economic challenges.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
Bringing Iowa TelePrEP to Scale: A Qualitative Evaluation
Regional partnerships between public health organizations and telehealth programs have the potential to expand access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in rural and small urban areas, but the best practices on how to successfully conduct these partnerships are unknown. Iowa TelePrEP is a regional public health‒partnered telehealth model created by the Iowa Department of Public Health and the University of Iowa to assess barriers and facilitators to statewide expansion and the lessons learned in the process. The facilitators of expansion included early public health partner engagement, model acceptability and inclusion of a navigator, and adaptability to local public health partner settings.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
Georgia Leverages Telehealth to Expand HIV Care Management in Underserved Areas
In Georgia, HIV telehealth has been successful at bridging gaps in patient care and in training local providers to offer comprehensive HIV care. A total of 60 telemedicine solutions were deployed in Georgia to expand HIV care access in 12 Georgia health districts. Among Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients who had a telehealth visit, 99.4% were prescribed antiretroviral therapy and 91.4% were virally suppressed.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
HRSA's Evidence-Based Tele-Emergency Network Grant Program: Multi-site Prospective Cohort Analysis Across Six Rural Emergency Department Telemedicine Networks
Six rural hospital systems received grants from HRSA to study how their emergency telehealth departments affect outcomes for patients. Telehealth was often the patient’s first point of contact and usually resulted in a transfer to a distant hospital or local inpatient facility. Findings suggest that emergency telehealth plays an important role in improving access for rural emergency patients.
Emergency health Health equity
Telehealth Use in a Rural State: A Mixed Methods Study Using Maine's All-Payer Claims Database
The expansion of telehealth in Maine is partly driven by Medicare patients. This research suggests telehealth is improving access to behavioral health and speech-language pathology. Telehealth is limited, however, by access problems including provider shortages, lack of broadband, and other insurance coverage like Medicare and commercial policies.
Behavioral health Health equity Medicare and Medicaid
Telebehavioral Health Use Among Rural Medicaid Beneficiaries: Relationships with Telehealth Policies
This study examines Medicaid telehealth policies and telebehavioral health use among rural fee-for-service (FFS) patients. It finds that rural Medicaid FFS beneficiaries may have better access to telebehavioral health services when they give informed consent in a provider setting.
Behavioral health Health equity Medicare and Medicaid Telehealth experience
Emergency Department Telemedicine Consults are Associated with Faster Time-to-ECG and Time-to-Fibrinolysis for Myocardial Infarction Patients
Heart attack is a common and deadly event that requires treatment as soon as possible. Telemedicine can improve how quickly heart attacks are diagnosed and treated in rural hospitals.
Emergency health Health equity
PrEPTECH: a telehealth-based initiation program for human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis in young men of color who have sex with men. A pilot study of feasibility.
This pilot study uses a telehealth-based approach to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) initiation as a solution to barriers such as stigma, cost, adherence concerns, and medical distrust.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
Provider-to-Provider Telemedicine Improves Adherence to Sepsis Bundle Care in Community Emergency Departments
Sepsis occurs when an infection reaches the bloodstream and getting care quickly improves the chances of survival. In this study, telemedicine in the emergency department improved the rates of adhering to the sepsis treatment protocol. The timely replacement of fluids and the administration of antibiotics greatly improved sepsis care at rural community hospitals.
Emergency health Health equity
The Use of and Experiences With Telelactation Among Rural Breastfeeding Mothers: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Telelactation services connecting breastfeeding mothers to lactation consultants increase access to professional breastfeeding support in rural areas. This research shows both high demand for and positive experiences with these telehealth services in an underserved population.
Health equity Maternal health
Telemedicine Use Decreases Rural Emergency Department Length of Stay for Transferred North Dakota Trauma Patients
Emergency department telemedicine consults for trauma patients were associated with faster hospital transfers and the increased use of radiography.
Emergency health Health equity
Urban Telemedicine Enables Equity in Access to Acute Illness Care
The use of telemedicine increased inner-city children’s access to acute care in Rochester, NY, closing a socio-economic gap.
Health equity
HIV/AIDS
Telemedicine and visit completion among people with HIV during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to pre-pandemic
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, telemedicine visit completion among people with HIV increased significantly, especially among populations with lower pre-pandemic engagement.
HIV/AIDS
Telehealth Exercise Intervention in Older Adults With HIV: Protocol of a Multisite Randomized Trial
This study aims to successfully develop a synchronous telehealth exercise intervention program for people with HIV to improve cardiorespiratory fitness.
HIV/AIDS
Evaluation of a telemedicine pilot program for the provision of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in the Southeastern United States
In this telePrEP feasibility study, adherence to PrEP remained high and most participants preferred telemedicine or a combination of telemedicine and in-person office visits to only in-person office visits. Without this program, many participants were unlikely to have received PrEP.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
Rapid Implementation of a Telemedicine Program in a Ryan White–Funded HIV Clinic During a Global Pandemic
With the introduction of telemedicine in an HIV clinic, the average monthly number of patient encounters increased, the mean no-show rate decreased, and viral suppression increased. Patient satisfaction also increased during this period.
HIV/AIDS
Transitioning from Face to Face to the Digital Space: Best Practices and Lessons Learned Leveraging Technology to Conduct HIV-Focused Interventions
Although telehealth has been an important strategy to maintain research operations during the current pandemic, participants at increased risk of or living with HIV are often at higher risk of also experiencing poverty, housing instability, and other challenges that may present obstacles to successful remote delivery. Telemedicine procedures must address barriers to remote participation, such as health literacy and economic challenges.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
Experiences with Telemedicine for HIV Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study
People with HIV and clinical staff perceive telemedicine visits as useful, with benefits including the ability to engage and re-engage patients in care, perceived patient-centeredness and flexibility, the opportunity to engage family and multidisciplinary care team members, and the opportunity to enhance telemedicine use proficiency through practice and support.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
Telehealth for HIV Care Services in South Carolina: Utilization, Barriers, and Promotion Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Telehealth was used to provide a wide array of medical and supportive HIV services, including case management, support groups, housing, food, and transportation services. Staff education, cell phone distribution, client empowerment and technology use guidance, bureaucracy and process adjustments, and reimbursement changes are all strategies that could further facilitate telehealth use to deliver care and treatment to people with HIV.
HIV/AIDS
Brief Report: Supporting Access to HIV Care for Children and Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic With Telemedicine and Rideshare
Telemedicine has the potential to bridge pediatric health care gaps. Telemedicine combined with rideshare support ensured uninterrupted access to HIV care among pediatric and adolescent patients.
HIV/AIDS
Bringing Iowa TelePrEP to Scale: A Qualitative Evaluation
Regional partnerships between public health organizations and telehealth programs have the potential to expand access to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in rural and small urban areas, but the best practices on how to successfully conduct these partnerships are unknown. Iowa TelePrEP is a regional public health‒partnered telehealth model created by the Iowa Department of Public Health and the University of Iowa to assess barriers and facilitators to statewide expansion and the lessons learned in the process. The facilitators of expansion included early public health partner engagement, model acceptability and inclusion of a navigator, and adaptability to local public health partner settings.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
Georgia Leverages Telehealth to Expand HIV Care Management in Underserved Areas
In Georgia, HIV telehealth has been successful at bridging gaps in patient care and in training local providers to offer comprehensive HIV care. A total of 60 telemedicine solutions were deployed in Georgia to expand HIV care access in 12 Georgia health districts. Among Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program clients who had a telehealth visit, 99.4% were prescribed antiretroviral therapy and 91.4% were virally suppressed.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
Employing telehealth within HIV care: advantages, challenges, and recommendations
While the COVID-19 pandemic added new challenges within the medical field, it also presented new opportunities, such as catalyzing the implementation of telehealth within spaces that offer care for people living with HIV, substance use disorders, and various behavioral health problems.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
Transitioning to Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patient Perspectives and Attendance at an HIV Clinic in San Francisco
With a transition to telehealth, nonattendance rates for HIV medical appointments decreased. People with HIV perceived telehealth as more convenient and safe than traditional visits.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
Telehealth for HIV Care Services in South Carolina: Utilization, Barriers, and Promotion Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This study examines telehealth utilization for HIV services in South Carolina, identifies barriers to telehealth during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and investigates strategies to facilitate remote HIV care delivery.
HIV/AIDS
Comparative effects of telephone versus in-office behavioral counseling to improve HIV treatment outcomes among people living with HIV in a rural setting
People with HIV at risk for discontinuing HIV care and treatment failure living in rural areas expressed a preference for telephone-delivered behavioral counseling and those who received telephone counseling completed a greater number of sessions.
HIV/AIDS
Project Moxie: Results of a Feasibility Study of a Telehealth Intervention to Increase HIV Testing Among Binary and Nonbinary Transgender Youth
Because transgender youth have low rates of engagement in HIV prevention, Project Moxie tested the feasibility of an intervention that provides home-based HIV self-testing combined with video-chat counseling.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
PrEPTECH: a telehealth-based initiation program for human immunodeficiency virus pre-exposure prophylaxis in young men of color who have sex with men. A pilot study of feasibility.
This pilot study uses a telehealth-based approach to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) initiation as a solution to barriers such as stigma, cost, adherence concerns, and medical distrust.
Health equity HIV/AIDS
Development of a tailored, telehealth intervention to address chronic pain and heavy drinking among people with HIV infection: integrating perspectives of patients in HIV care
Chronic pain and heavy drinking commonly co-occur and can influence the course of HIV, but there have been no interventions designed to address both conditions among people living with HIV. This study aims to better understand pain symptoms, patterns of alcohol use, treatment experiences, and technology use in order to tailor a telehealth intervention that will address all these conditions.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
Telehealth and texting intervention to improve HIV care engagement, mental health and substance use outcomes in youth living with HIV: a pilot feasibility and acceptability study protocol
This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary clinical outcomes of a 12-session telehealth counseling series provided to young adults living with HIV that will include education, motivational enhancement and problem-solving around HIV care, mental health, substance use, and other challenges.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
Cell Phone Counseling Improves Retention of Mothers With HIV Infection in Care and Infant HIV Testing in Kisumu, Kenya: A Randomized Controlled Study
This study shows the effectiveness of cell phone counseling to keep pregnant women with HIV in care in Kisumu, Kenya. Phone counseling helps reach and retain pregnant women with HIV infection and postpartum mothers in care. It also improved infant HIV testing and antenatal and postnatal care services.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS Maternal health
Randomized Controlled Trial of a Mobile Health Intervention to Promote Retention and Adherence to Preexposure Prophylaxis Among Young People at Risk for Human Immunodeficiency Virus: The EPIC Study
Young people are the least likely to use protection against sexually transmitting HIV. An interactive text-messaging intervention significantly increased the odds of using protection among young individuals at risk for getting HIV.
HIV/AIDS
Text Messages Can Encourage Patients to Discuss and Receive HIV Testing in Primary Care
Regular HIV testing does not often happen in primary care visits. Doctors want patients to ask for the test, as opposed to suggesting it themselves. This study finds that using a patient-centered text message campaign may prompt patients to discuss HIV testing with their physicians, thereby increasing HIV testing.
HIV/AIDS
Feasibility and acceptability of an online positive affect intervention for those living with comorbid HIV depression
This article presents pilot data of using an online intervention to improve the outlook of people living with both HIV and depression. The intervention was rated well by patients and was shown to be both acceptable and feasible to use.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS
Maternal health
Maternal Telehealth Access Project (MTAP) Report on Community Grant Program
The Maternal Telehealth Access Project (MTAP) was launched to ensure that quality telehealth prenatal and postpartum services are accessible and available in underserved communities during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Increased access to perinatal services and support via telehealth, including clinical care, care coordination, support, and doulas/community health workers leads to improved clinical outcomes for moms and babies
Maternal health
A telehealth lifestyle intervention to reduce excess gestational weight gain in pregnant women with overweight or obesity (GLOW): a randomised, parallel-group, controlled trial
Significant weight gain in pregnancy among overweight or obese women increases their already elevated risk of having gestational diabetes, a cesarean delivery, and post-partum weight retention. It also increases the chances of a larger infant and the child's risk of obesity. This research investigated whether a telehealth lifestyle intervention reduced excess weight gain in participants.
Maternal health
Telehealth with remote blood pressure monitoring compared with standard care for postpartum hypertension
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect 10% of the pregnancies in the United States and are the most common reason for postpartum hospital readmissions. This study considers whether postpartum home telehealth with remote blood pressure monitoring could reduce the readmission rates during the first 6 weeks postpartum in women with HDP.
Maternal health Remote patient monitoring
A Postpartum Remote Hypertension Monitoring Protocol Implemented at the Hospital Level
This study evaluated using remote blood pressure monitoring on postpartum women with hypertension when they leave the hospital. It found that remote monitoring of this type showed high patient compliance, retention, and satisfaction.
Maternal health Remote patient monitoring
The Use of and Experiences With Telelactation Among Rural Breastfeeding Mothers: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial
Telelactation services connecting breastfeeding mothers to lactation consultants increase access to professional breastfeeding support in rural areas. This research shows both high demand for and positive experiences with these telehealth services in an underserved population.
Health equity Maternal health
Cell Phone Counseling Improves Retention of Mothers With HIV Infection in Care and Infant HIV Testing in Kisumu, Kenya: A Randomized Controlled Study
This study shows the effectiveness of cell phone counseling to keep pregnant women with HIV in care in Kisumu, Kenya. Phone counseling helps reach and retain pregnant women with HIV infection and postpartum mothers in care. It also improved infant HIV testing and antenatal and postnatal care services.
Behavioral health HIV/AIDS Maternal health
A Mobile Application for Monitoring and Management of Depressed Mood in a Vulnerable Pregnant Population
This study tested whether a mood tracking and alert mobile application (MTA app) improved mental health care in high-risk pregnant mothers. The MTA app monitored activity, mood, and alerted providers to signs of worsening symptoms. Women who received a telephone call triggered by an MTA app alert were significantly more likely to receive a mental health specialist referral.
Behavioral health Maternal health
Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare Beneficiaries’ Use of Telehealth in 2020: Trends by Beneficiary Characteristics and Location
This research report examines changes in Medicare fee-for-service Part B visits and the use of telehealth in 2020 during the COVID-19 public health emergency by beneficiary characteristics, provider specialty, and location.
Emergency health Medicare and Medicaid
Telehealth Use in a Rural State: A Mixed Methods Study Using Maine's All-Payer Claims Database
The expansion of telehealth in Maine is partly driven by Medicare patients. This research suggests telehealth is improving access to behavioral health and speech-language pathology. Telehealth is limited, however, by access problems including provider shortages, lack of broadband, and other insurance coverage like Medicare and commercial policies.
Behavioral health Health equity Medicare and Medicaid
Telebehavioral Health Use Among Rural Medicaid Beneficiaries: Relationships with Telehealth Policies
This study examines Medicaid telehealth policies and telebehavioral health use among rural fee-for-service (FFS) patients. It finds that rural Medicaid FFS beneficiaries may have better access to telebehavioral health services when they give informed consent in a provider setting.
Behavioral health Health equity Medicare and Medicaid Telehealth experience
Association of a School-Based, Asthma-Focused Telehealth Program With Emergency Department Visits Among Children Enrolled in South Carolina Medicaid
Telehealth programs with a focus on chronic pediatric diseases, such as asthma, may improve children’s health in rural and medically underserved communities. These kinds of programs are associated with a more than 20% overall reduction in emergency department visits.
Medicare and Medicaid School-based health
Remote patient monitoring
Child Health, Vulnerability, and Complexity: Use of Telehealth to Enhance Care for Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs
Telehealth has the potential to improve the quality of care, particularly deficiencies related to access and patient experience of care for children and youth with special health care needs and reduce disparities related to accessing in-person care.
Health equity Remote patient monitoring
Group and individual telehealth for chronic musculoskeletal pain: A scoping review
Musculoskeletal (MSK) pain presents a global challenge. Individual and group pain management programs (PMPs) are recommended approaches for patients with chronic MSK disorders. With advances in remote healthcare capability, telehealth, and the recent COVID-19 public health emergency, the importance of telehealth PMPs has become even more evident.
Remote patient monitoring
Telehealth with remote blood pressure monitoring compared with standard care for postpartum hypertension
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) affect 10% of the pregnancies in the United States and are the most common reason for postpartum hospital readmissions. This study considers whether postpartum home telehealth with remote blood pressure monitoring could reduce the readmission rates during the first 6 weeks postpartum in women with HDP.
Maternal health Remote patient monitoring
A Postpartum Remote Hypertension Monitoring Protocol Implemented at the Hospital Level
This study evaluated using remote blood pressure monitoring on postpartum women with hypertension when they leave the hospital. It found that remote monitoring of this type showed high patient compliance, retention, and satisfaction.
Maternal health Remote patient monitoring
Feasibility of an image-based mobile health protocol for postoperative wound monitoring
Patients and caregivers were willing and able to use a mobile program to monitor wounds after surgery. Early results showed health providers identified and managed wound complications.
Remote patient monitoring
School-based health
Implementation of Telehealth Services in Rural Schools: A Qualitative Assessment
This study explores facilitators and barriers to the implementation of telehealth programs in rural schools and identifies strategies for successful implementation.
School-based health
The Future of Telehealth in School-Based Health Centers: Lessons from COVID-19
A qualitative analysis of nationally-led "Listening and Learning" sessions by the School-Based Health Alliance revealed substantial innovation and expansion of telehealth services due to COVID-10. School-based health programs were shown to reduce barriers to health care access, protect the most vulnerable, and decrease the spread of disease. Telehealth implementations in schools may also help keep youth from emergency departments and provide needed mental health care.
School-based health
Process of Identifying Measures and Data Elements for the HRSA School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program
An analysis of the School-Based Telehealth Network Grant Program’s initiatives to measure the effect that telehealth has on the quality of healthcare services offered in schools. The project also aimed to identify a common set of measures that could assess school-based telehealth services, utilization, processes, and outcomes.
School-based health
Association of a School-Based, Asthma-Focused Telehealth Program With Emergency Department Visits Among Children Enrolled in South Carolina Medicaid
Telehealth programs with a focus on chronic pediatric diseases, such as asthma, may improve children’s health in rural and medically underserved communities. These kinds of programs are associated with a more than 20% overall reduction in emergency department visits.
Medicare and Medicaid School-based health
The Use of Telehealth in School-Based Health Centers
School-based telehealth programs can expand health care access to rural and underserved youth by eliminating barriers to access, such as transportation. This article describes characteristics of School-Based Telehealth Centers using technology to add to the access of care beyond onsite providers for underserved communities.
School-based health
Effect of the School-Based Telemedicine Enhanced Asthma Management (SB-TEAM) Program on Asthma Morbidity
School-based programs that incorporate telemedicine to link to primary care can improve outcomes for urban children with asthma. This randomized clinical trial included 400 children. It showed an increase in symptom-free days and fewer emergency department visits or hospitalizations for children using telehealth compared with usual care.
School-based health
Telehealth experience
National Survey Trends in Telehealth Use in 2021: Disparities in Utilization and Audio vs. Video Services
This report analyzes national trends in telehealth utilization and how use of video-enabled vs. audio-only telehealth services differ across patient populations. The study finds notable disparities by race, ethnicity, income, age, and insurance status in access to video-enabled telehealth.
Health equity Telehealth experience
Evaluation of a telemedicine pilot program for the provision of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis in the Southeastern United States
In this telePrEP feasibility study, adherence to PrEP remained high and most participants preferred telemedicine or a combination of telemedicine and in-person office visits to only in-person office visits. Without this program, many participants were unlikely to have received PrEP.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
Experiences with Telemedicine for HIV Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study
People with HIV and clinical staff perceive telemedicine visits as useful, with benefits including the ability to engage and re-engage patients in care, perceived patient-centeredness and flexibility, the opportunity to engage family and multidisciplinary care team members, and the opportunity to enhance telemedicine use proficiency through practice and support.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
Patient Experience with In-Person and Telehealth Visits Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Large Integrated Health System in the United States
The positive experiences with telehealth reported in this study, especially video based telehealth, may be due to patient appreciation of efforts made to maintain access during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the focused nature of telehealth visits, and help by staff for navigation technical issues.
Telehealth experience
Transitioning to Telehealth During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patient Perspectives and Attendance at an HIV Clinic in San Francisco
With a transition to telehealth, nonattendance rates for HIV medical appointments decreased. People with HIV perceived telehealth as more convenient and safe than traditional visits.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
Keeping Pace With 21st Century Healthcare: A Framework for Telehealth Research, Practice, and Program Evaluation in Occupational Therapy
The use of telehealth in occupational therapy is steadily increasing, but there is little framework around the evaluation of these services. This study introduces the PACE Framework, which aims to support researchers and practitioners in systematically evaluating components of telehealth service delivery in occupational therapy through population and health outcomes, access for all clients, costs and cost-effectiveness, and the experiences of clients and occupational therapy practitioners.
Telehealth experience
Telebehavioral Health Use Among Rural Medicaid Beneficiaries: Relationships with Telehealth Policies
This study examines Medicaid telehealth policies and telebehavioral health use among rural fee-for-service (FFS) patients. It finds that rural Medicaid FFS beneficiaries may have better access to telebehavioral health services when they give informed consent in a provider setting.
Behavioral health Health equity Medicare and Medicaid Telehealth experience
Outcomes of a Rapid Adolescent Telehealth Scale-Up During the COVID-19 Pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, health systems needed to quickly transition from in-person visits to telehealth. This study examines the unique challenges within adolescent medicine during this transition, such as patient confidentiality during digital communication and multidisciplinary care teams learning to use video formats.
Telehealth experience
Project Moxie: Results of a Feasibility Study of a Telehealth Intervention to Increase HIV Testing Among Binary and Nonbinary Transgender Youth
Because transgender youth have low rates of engagement in HIV prevention, Project Moxie tested the feasibility of an intervention that provides home-based HIV self-testing combined with video-chat counseling.
HIV/AIDS Telehealth experience
Workforce development
Leveraging Digital Platforms to Scale Health Care Workforce Development: The Career 911 Massive Open Online Course
A massive open online course (MOOC) called Career 911 was created to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to explore health-related professions.
Workforce development
Telepsychiatric Consultation as a Training and Workforce Development Strategy for Rural Primary Care
There is a shortage of rural primary care personnel with expertise in team care for patients with common mental disorders. This research investigated the feasibility of regular systematic case reviews through telepsychiatric consultation, within collaborative care for depression, as a continuous training and workforce development strategy in rural clinics.
Workforce development
The Technological Impact of COVID-19 on the Future of Education and Health Care Delivery
This commentary discusses the abrupt technological changes in providing health care since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors note that some of these changes are positive and should be preserved or modified beyond the public health emergency. They argue clinicians must be objective in assessing and retaining those changes that clearly improve healthcare education and patient care moving forward.
Workforce development