| الوصف: |
BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in ambulatory virtual care, threatening access to care for older adults with lower digital literacy. In this report, we describe the Video Visits for Elders Project (VVEP), a quality improvement effort to help older adults access video visits at an academic primary care practice. METHODS: We reached out to empaneled older adults (≥ 65 years) who had a scheduled visit between March 30 and June 12, 2020. We assessed patients’ readiness to engage in a virtual visit and offered to walk them through accessing the platform if they owned a compatible device. We evaluated outcomes of those phone calls and actual visit completion. RESULTS: Between March 26 and June 3, 2020, we called 1,427 patients, reaching 1,025 (72%). Of those reached (mean age 75.6 years), 312 (30%) were already video-enabled, 192 (19%) asked for technical assistance, 185 (18%) did not have access to an electronic device, and 336 (33%) declined assistance. Of those reached, 40% completed their visit by video, 27% by telephone, and 1% by in-person visit, while 30% canceled and 2% no-showed. CONCLUSIONS: VVEP successfully innovated to promote equitable access to telemedicine for vulnerable older patients in a time of crisis. Almost half required technical assistance or did not have access to a compatible device to engage in virtual care. As telemedicine will continue to play an important role in access to clinical care even in a post-pandemic world, it is imperative for health systems to focus on technological need to promote equitable access to care for all patients. |
