Telehealth Implementation of a Young Adult IBD Clinic: Uptake, Benefits to Patient Care, and Challenges

Authors

Angela Combs MA, Children's Mercy Kansas CityFollow
Alaina Linafelter, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow
Jordan Sevart, Children's Mercy Kansas CityFollow
Michele H. Maddux, Children's Mercy HospitalFollow

Publication Date

4-2024

Files

Abstract

Introduction: Since the COVID-19 pandemic, pediatric psychologists have been at the forefront of telemedicine expansion to ensure access for patients and families to needed mental health services. This has required adaptations across the care continuum – from scheduling to service delivery to documentation. This poster aims to summarize the telehealth (TH) application of a Young Adult IBD Clinic (YAC-IBD) that provides transition preparation to youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Methods: In April 2020, the YAC-IBD was converted from in-person visits to a virtual visit format. Since then, 119 youth ages 17-21 (inclusive) have been seen in this clinic. This clinic is staffed by a pediatric psychologist, nurse practitioner, and pharmacist, all of whom are programmatically dedicated to youth with IBD. As part of YAC-IBD, youth and caregivers complete a standard battery of psychosocial screeners (not described herein). Qualitative feedback from patients/caregivers and clinic providers was obtained on feasibility, challenges, and solutions to converting multidisciplinary visits to a telemedicine format. Opt-in to be seen in the YAC-IBD, no-show, cancelation, and rescheduling rates were also evaluated. Results: Qualitative feedback from patients/caregivers revealed preference for TH visits, due to fewer scheduling constraints and the convenience of seeing their provider from their college campus. Feedback from clinic providers revealed the benefit of less repetition across providers, improved access, and more collaborative treatment planning. Challenges include distractions, connectivity issues, and privacy concerns. Opt-in rate increased by approximately 20.0%. No-show rates from 2-years prior to 2-year following TH implementation decreased from 25.7% to 21.0%. Cancelation rates decreased from 37.61% to 23.13%, and rescheduling rates decreased from 39.45% to 30.63%. Conclusions: While the transition from in-person to TH in the YAC-IBD involved logistical challenges, data on satisfaction and show rates suggest that TH implementation is a promising format for transition planning and support to youth with IBD.

Disciplines

Pediatrics

Notes

Presented at the Society of Pediatric Psychology Annual Conference 2024; New Orleans, LA; April 25-27, 2024.

Recommended Citation

Combs, Angela MA; Linafelter, Alaina; Sevart, Jordan; and Maddux, Michele H., "Telehealth Implementation of a Young Adult IBD Clinic: Uptake, Benefits to Patient Care, and Challenges" (2024). Posters. 380.
https://scholarlyexchange.childrensmercy.org/posters/380