News: Physicians still keen on telehealth

Physicians continue to support using telehealth services even through the end of the pandemic, according to a survey reported by HealthLeaders. Of the240 providers surveyed, 93% said they intend to continue using telehealth.

Most common uses include primary care visits, chronic care visits, and prescription refill needs (75%, 72%, and 64% respectively). Telehealth options are also being used for urgent, post-procedure care, and mental health needs (38%, 28%, and 36% respectively).

The survey found that telehealth preferences vary, though responses indicated that older technologies have given way to new telehealth preferences. Video was used for 88% of visits while the communication channels of secure messages (30%), email (12%), text messaging (7%) and chatbots (3%) lagged in adoption.

While most providers (69%) said they found telehealth to be convenient, roughly 30% said they find it frustrating, citing not only technical difficulties (50%) but the added challenges it presents for delivering quality of care (58%) and managing patient expectations (55%).

The survey notes that most stakeholders “adopted virtual care as recently as the start of the pandemic,” HealthLeaders reported. While providers see a need for ongoing digital training for patients and staff, study authors state that “the innovations utilized over the past two years and the convenience they have brought to providers and patients should not be left behind.”

Editor’s note: This article as originally published by HealthLeaders.