Students from Durham, N.C.-based Duke University School of Medicine visited homebound older adults while a clinician supervised virtually, increasing access for these patients.
The students launched the first-of-its-kind telehealth program, studying the results from November 2022 to July 2023, according to research published in March in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. They witnessed the barriers that often keep older adults who are homebound or with disabilities from following through on primary care.
“How their homes were set up, how the kitchen and living rooms were positioned, the bright light bursting through some, and the darkness that filled others — that’s what sticks with me,” said Kelly Goo, MD, a graduate of Duke School of Medicine’s Primary Care Leadership Track, in an April 20 news release.
The researchers concluded that the “novel program may improve patient access to home-based care via telehealth encounters facilitated by medical students and, concurrently, provide a model for student participation in home visits.”
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