Disparities In Telehealth Use Among California Patients With Limited English Proficiency
Disparities In Telehealth Use Among California Patients With Limited English Proficiency
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DOI：
10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00823
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发表时间：
2021-03-01
期刊：
影响因子：
9.7
通讯作者：
Samal, Lipika
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Rodriguez, Jorge A.;Saadi, Altaf;Samal, Lipika
允许患者和临床团队之间远程通信的远程医疗服务是医疗服务的一个新兴部分。由于语言障碍，英语水平有限的患者在整合远程保健和确保公平方面面临一系列独特的挑战。利用2015-18年加州健康访谈调查中84,419名受访者的数据，我们评估了有限的英语水平与远程医疗使用（电话和视频访问）之间的关系，并评估了远程医疗使用对医疗保健获取和使用的影响。我们发现，与精通英语的患者相比，英语水平有限的患者远程医疗使用率较低（4.8%对12.3%）。在加权多变量逻辑回归中，英语水平有限的患者仍然有大约一半的几率使用远程医疗。远程医疗的使用与急诊科对所有患者的使用增加有关。本研究表明，政策制定者和临床医生必须将有限的英语水平作为促进远程医疗公平和减少数字鸿沟的重要维度。
Telehealth services that allow remote communication between the patient and the clinical team are an emerging part of care delivery. Given language barriers, patients with limited English proficiency present a unique set of challenges in integrating telehealth and ensuring equity. Using data from 84,419 respondents in the 2015-18 California Health Interview Survey, we assessed the association between limited English proficiency and telehealth use (telephone and video visits) and evaluated the impact of telehealth use on health care access and use. We found that patients with limited English proficiency had lower rates of telehealth use (4.8 percent versus 12.3 percent) compared with proficient English speakers. In weighted multivariable logistic regression, patients with limited English proficiency still had about half the odds of using telehealth. Telehealth use was associated with increased emergency department use for all patients. This study suggests that policy makers and clinicians must focus on limited English proficiency as an important dimension to promote telehealth equity and decrease digital divides.