Researchers from Syracuse (N.Y.) University and the Syracuse (N.Y.) VA Medical Center found that more than 40 percent of physicians plan to continue telehealth practices after the pandemic era, according to a recent study published in JMIR Publications.
Bhavneet Walia, PhD, assistant professor of public health at Syracuse University said she was surprised that physicians wanted to continue to use telehealth, according to a May 26 news release on the study shared with Becker's Hospital Review.
"I initially thought that, because of the challenges of telehealth, physicians would not be in favor of continuing post-pandemic," she said. "It turns out they do. But make no mistake, there are challenges."
Five report findings:
1. Physicians said that virtual visits and in-person visits were comparable in quality. On average, they felt that virtual visits could make up 44.9 percent of all visits after the pandemic era.
2. Patient reluctance and internet accessibility were the biggest challenges for telehealth visits. On average, physicians said 26.6 percent of patients are reluctant to use telehealth and 29 percent lack the internet connectivity to participate in a telehealth visit.
3. More than half of physicians (56.8 percent) reported that it took the same amount of time to conduct a telehealth visit as it did for in-person visits.
4. A third of respondents (33.1 percent) felt that telehealth delivery decreases the value of their clinical skills.
5. More than 40 percent of physicians practicing internal medicine say they would continue using telehealth after the pandemic.