Comparison of Virtual and In-Person Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training
Purpose: There is limited research comparing virtual and in-person tobacco treatment specialist training. As a result of COVID-19, the Duke-UNC Tobacco Treatment Specialist Training Program (Duke-UNC TTS) transitioned from an in-person to a virtual format, allowing for a comparison of these two training formats. Materials and Methods: We conducted ...
By James Davis, MD, Sonia Clark, MHA, Jennifer Greyber, Jillian Dirkes, MSW, LCSW, Sally Herndon, MPH, Joyce Swetlick, MPH, Susan Trout, LCSW, MSPH, NCTTP, Farid Manshaii, Adam Goldstein, MD, MPH
The Impact of Secure Messaging Telehealth Service on the Quality of Healthcare
Background: Secure messaging within electronic health records (EHRs) is the fastest-growing component of virtual care in the telehealth ecosystem. It is a cost-effective way to communicate medical advice and an alternative to an in-person, video, or tele-phone visits. Secure messaging is shown to have a positive effect on the management of chronic ...
By Dong-Gil Ko
Digital Empathy 2.0: Connecting With Patients Using the Written Word
Chat-based telehealth has been expanding with the resulting concern of the further deterioration of the clinician-patient relationship. As this relationship hinges on fostering a human connection and trust, understanding, and creating digital empathy for the written word becomes crucial. Currently most of the literature focuses on training and empa...
By Matthew Sakumoto, MD, Aditi Joshi, MD
Sustainable Virtual Care in Ontario’s Health System: A Quality Metrics Comparison
Objective: The lack of pre-existing public virtual care platforms in Ontario at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the generation of many private companies employing physicians in corporate practice groups. The quality of care provided remains unknown. This study assesses the quality of care provided by physicians through a virtual care...
By Jakarinya Mangalamoorthy, William Cherniak, Brian Geller, Ryan Tam
Reframing Equity: A Multi-Perspective Analysis of Telehealth Screening Tools Through the Lens of Patients and Clinicians
Background: Telehealth usage increased dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic, but equitable access remains a concern. Patients lacking technology access, skills, and digital literacy may not benefit fully. Validated telehealth literacy screening instruments are lacking. This study evaluated existing tools from patient and clinician perspectives...
By Matthew Sakumoto, MD, Sarah Krug, MS
Addressing Workforce Crisis through New Models of Care
The healthcare industry has already been burdened by longstanding trends like aging populations, provider burnout, and patient dissatisfaction. Healthcare burnout has increased significantly during the pandemic. Many factors are putting strain on the industry: expanding healthcare roles, squeeze in reimbursements, competition for patient volume, sh...
By Kathleen McGrow DNP, MS, RN, PMP
Emergency Medical Technicians’ Perspectives on a Telehealth Facilitator Role to Expand Home-Based Primary Care: Pilot Study Resultss
Objective: A growing body of literature supports telehealth-enabled emergency medical services (EMS) personnel acting in expanded roles in the pre-hospital setting. While paramedic-based community programs have shown great promise, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), who make up a larger percentage of the total number of nationally certified EMS ...
Conducting a Global Quadruple Aim Thematic Analysis of Telemedicine Performance in Rural Indigenous Populations and Evidence-Based Recommendations for Improvement
As telehealth is a growing form of healthcare delivery across the world, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s impact on patient populations particularly in aboriginal and rural communities boasts many questions. As the health disparities between aboriginal groups living in rural areas on reserves and the rest of the Canadian demogra...
By Hussain Naqvi
Getting Beyond Parity: Telehealth as a Best Practice in Health Equity
The global pandemic spurred a rapid uptake of telehealth for nearly all health care providers and has permanently changed how health care is delivered. At present, providers and insurers are grappling with how to balance telehealth and in person care, focusing discussions around reimbursement models and logistical considerations. In this article, t...
By Andrew Philip, Mary Ford, Jordan Goldberg
Enhancing Quality of Healthcare and Patient Safety: Oversight of Physician Assistants, Nurses, and Pharmacists in Era of COVID-19 and Beyond
In the age of digitization, telemedicine services are utilized more than ever, and this trend affects healthcare as well. Although the utilization of technology serves as a benefit in allowing more access to care, COVID-19 has identified some of the weaknesses and discrepancies of the system. The increase in usage of technology has shed light on an...
By Lauren W Park, Dr. Amar Gupta