Children with chronic conditions were more likely to use telehealth during the pandemic than children without a chronic condition, according to a CDC study published May 10.
The CDC conducted a study using information from a National Health Interview Survey, which included data from July to December 2020, to analyze whether a child participated in a visit through audio or video platforms and if the virtual visit occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study found that children who had chronic conditions used the virtual care option more than children without chronic conditions. For example, 23.5 percent of children with asthma used telehealth because of the pandemic compared with 13.6 percent of those without asthma.
Similarly, 32.5 percent of children with a current developmental condition used telemedicine due to the pandemic. This was significantly higher than the 11.1 percent of children without a developmental condition.
Children with disabilities also used telehealth at 29.8 percent compared to children without disabilities who used telehealth 11.4 percent of the time.
The findings suggest that specialties such as behavioral and mental health care, preventive care, developmental screening, chronic condition management, presurgical visits, and follow-up appointments after hospitalizations or in-person emergency care may have been more suitable for virtual care across age groups.
The study's limitations include the potential for bias, lack of information regarding the number of appointments and the quality of care.