In an attempt to address the physician shortage and reach patients without access to primary care physicians, Massachusetts General Hospital is developing a portal for patients with Down syndrome to receive care, reports The Boston Herald.
Brian Skotko, MD, director of the Down syndrome program at MGH, said in the report that primary care physicians often have just a few patients with Down syndrome, and staying up to date on research and conditions of patients can draining.
"The modern day primary care physician maybe only has one or two patients with Down syndrome, and it's unreasonable to expect them to stay up to date on research for the conditions of all their patients," Dr. Skotko said in the report. "[The virtual clinic is] really going to transform the way we're able to deliver healthcare to people with Down syndrome and other disability populations."
The virtual clinic will provide Down syndrome patients with customized information to take to primary care appointments, fact sheets and webinars.
Dr. Skotko and his research team received $2.1 million in grant money to develop the virtual clinic. Development is scheduled to begin in July, and a randomized trial to compare outcomes for those enrolled in the virtual clinic versus those receiving in-person care is scheduled to begin next summer, according to the report.
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