Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA
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J Am Med Inform Assoc · Nov 2020
Telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for rural health disparities.
Telehealth programs have long held promise for addressing rural health disparities perpetuated by inadequate healthcare access. The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and accompanying social distancing measures have hastened the implementation of telehealth programs in hospital systems around the globe. Here, we provide specific examples of telehealth efforts that have been implemented in a large rural healthcare system in response to the pandemic, and further describe how the massive shift to telehealth and reliance on virtual connections in these times of social isolation may impact rural health disparities for those without access to necessary broadband to deploy digital technologies. Finally, we provide recommendations for researchers and policymakers to ensure that telehealth initiatives do not amplify existing health disparities experienced by those living in rural communities.
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J Am Med Inform Assoc · Aug 2020
Rapid implementation of a COVID-19 remote patient monitoring program.
The study sought to evaluate early lessons from a remote patient monitoring engagement and education technology solution for patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms. ⋯ Remote patient monitoring appears to be an effective approach for managing COVID-19 symptoms at home.
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J Am Med Inform Assoc · Aug 2020
Barriers to hospital electronic public health reporting and implications for the COVID-19 pandemic.
We sought to identify barriers to hospital reporting of electronic surveillance data to local, state, and federal public health agencies and the impact on areas projected to be overwhelmed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Using 2018 American Hospital Association data, we identified barriers to surveillance data reporting and combined this with data on the projected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital capacity at the hospital referral region level. ⋯ Public health agencies' inability to receive electronic data is the most prominent hospital-reported barrier to effective syndromic surveillance. This reflects the policy commitment of investing in information technology for hospitals without a concomitant investment in IT infrastructure for state and local public health agencies.