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Accessibility of Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Medicare Beneficiaries ORIGINAL RESEARCH Volume 18 July 1, 2021
Suggested citation for this article: Ng BP, Park C. Accessibility of Telehealth Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Medicare Beneficiaries. Prev Chronic Dis 2021;18:210056. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.210056external icon.
PEER REVIEWED
What is already known on this topic?
Factors associated with accessibility and use of telehealth have been reported for the adult population; however, little is known about factors associated with accessibility of telehealth among older adults.
What is added by this report?
Over 80% of Medicare beneficiaries in our study reported that their usual providers offered telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disparities in accessibility of telehealth services by sex, residing area, income, and census region were observed.
The majority of surveyed Americans had an inadequate understanding of palliative care, and frequency of health care utilization was one determinant of knowledge.
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Bottom Line: The majority of surveyed Americans had an inadequate understanding of palliative care, and frequency of health care utilization was one determinant of knowledge.
Journal in Which the Study was Published:
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research
Author: Motolani Ogunsanya, PhD, an assistant professor at The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Background: Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for patients and caretakers by addressing the physical, psychological, and logistical challenges associated with a disease or its treatment. In contrast to hospice, which provides comfort care for patients who have stopped treatment and are near the end of life, palliative care serves as an adjunct to life-sustaining treatments by addressing the side effects of treatment or symptoms of the disease.