Survey of Telemedicine by Pediatric Nephrologists During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Creator(s)

Rupesh Raina
Nikhil Nair
Hui Kim Yap
Guido Filler
Sidharth K. Sethi
Arvind Bagga
Pankaj Hari
Timothy Bunchman
Sharon Bartosh
Katherine Twombley
Gaurav Kapur
Mignon McCulloch
Bradley A. Warady, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Maria Díaz-González de Ferris
Sarah Rush

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-7-2021

Identifier

DOI: 10.1016/j.ekir.2021.06.026; PMCID: PMC8419113

Abstract

Introduction: The slow increase in use of telemedicine began to expand rapidly, along with reimbursement changes, during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Standardized protocols for these services are lacking but are needed for effective and equitable health care. In this study, we queried pediatric nephrologists and their patients about their telemedicine experiences during the pandemic.

Methods: Surveys that were in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act were deployed online to patients and physicians.

Results: We collected survey responses from 400 patients and 197 pediatric nephrologists. Patients reported positive experiences with telemedicine visits as it was logistically easier than in-person visits. Patients also felt that the quality of their visits were equivalent to what they would receive in person. Physicians used a wide variety of online systems to conduct synchronous telemedicine with Zoom (23%), EPIC (9%), Doxy.me (7%), services not specified (37%), or a mix of local or smaller services (24%). Most physicians' concerns were related to technological issues and the ability to procure physical exams and/or laboratory results.

Conclusions: There is a paucity of published trials on telemedicine services in pediatric nephrology. Virtual care was feasible and acceptable for patients, caregivers, and providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journal Title

Kidney Int Rep

Volume

6

Issue

9

First Page

2316

Last Page

2322

Keywords

COVID-19 pandemic; patient experience; patient satisfaction; pediatric nephrology online services; providerexperience; telemedicine

Comments

This article is available under the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license and permits non-commercial use of the work as published, without adaptation or alteration provided the work is fully attributed.

Publisher's Link: https://www.kireports.org/article/S2468-0249(21)01286-9/fulltext

Recommended Citation

Raina R, Nair N, Yap HK, et al. Survey of Telemedicine by Pediatric Nephrologists During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Kidney Int Rep. 2021;6(9):2316-2322. Published 2021 Jul 7. doi:10.1016/j.ekir.2021.06.026