Title:

The Impact of Telehealth Expansion on Demographic Trends in Healthcare Utilization: A Systematic Review

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented change to the healthcare industry, including a large and rapid shift to providing care through telehealth technologies. Though the expansion of telehealth services was successful in continuing to provide patients with care while preventing the spread of disease, it is less clear how patient sociodemographic characteristics influenced telehealth use during this time. This study aims to review the literature on demographic differences in telehealth access, utilization, and health outcomes among a variety of U.S. adult patient types. Litcovid, PubMed, Web of Science, and MEDLINE databases were searched, resulting in a final sample of n=32 studies. Studies were categorized as addressing at least one of eight different areas of inquiry: sociodemographic differences in telehealth use (1) during and (2) before the pandemic, telehealth use vs. non-use (3) during and (4) before the pandemic, (5) telehealth modality, (6) satisfaction with telehealth, (7) outcomes associated with telehealth use, and (8) perceived or actual access to telehealth services. Findings on demographic disparities in each telehealth outcome are discussed as well as areas for future research.

Name

Comment*

Comments are viewable only by submitter

Captcha*