Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees

Objective: To qualitatively explore Medicaid-enrolled parents’ and young adult patients’ perspectives and experiences with telemedicine in pediatric primary care. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants to explore their experiences with telemedicine. Participants consisted...

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Main Authors: Anne R. Links, Eliana M. Perrin, Sarah Polk, Divya Konduru, Shafkat Meraj, Nakiya N. Showell, Suzanne M. Grieb, Helen Hughes
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mary Ann Liebert 2024-04-01
Series:Telemedicine Reports
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Online Access:https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0028
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author Anne R. Links
Eliana M. Perrin
Sarah Polk
Divya Konduru
Shafkat Meraj
Nakiya N. Showell
Suzanne M. Grieb
Helen Hughes
author_facet Anne R. Links
Eliana M. Perrin
Sarah Polk
Divya Konduru
Shafkat Meraj
Nakiya N. Showell
Suzanne M. Grieb
Helen Hughes
author_sort Anne R. Links
collection DOAJ
description Objective: To qualitatively explore Medicaid-enrolled parents’ and young adult patients’ perspectives and experiences with telemedicine in pediatric primary care. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants to explore their experiences with telemedicine. Participants consisted of English- and Spanish-speaking parents and young adults (18–21) who engaged in a telemedicine visit between March 15, 2021 and December 31, 2022 at two pediatric primary care clinics whose patients are predominantly insured by Medicaid. A qualitative descriptive design was used to develop a taxonomy. Frequencies were obtained to identify the most prevalent themes. Results: Twenty-six participants (22 parents, 4 young adults) were interviewed. Twelve (46%) participants were English-speaking and 14 (53%) were Spanish-speaking. Four domains were identified, each further classified into themes: pre-visit expectations (option for in-person visit, general anticipation, and specific worries), visit experience (general sentiment, technology, and quality of care), comfort (with overall process, privacy, and communication), and feelings about telemedicine (advantages, disadvantages, and loss of telemedicine). Although many participants had negative expectations of telemedicine prior to their appointment, a majority indicated positive experiences with visits and concerns about a possible future where telemedicine visits at home were no longer covered by their health insurance. Discussion: Most participants indicated positive experiences with telemedicine and perceived negative impact if access was removed. Findings related to perceived quality of care, advantages, and disadvantages suggest that patient preferences and individual circumstances should be taken into account when choosing visit modality in similar settings.
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spelling doaj-art-645c5a3bc8fe4f70a6b56618e1b6085a2025-08-20T01:50:56ZengMary Ann LiebertTelemedicine Reports2692-43662024-04-015138039210.1089/tmr.2024.0028Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid EnrolleesAnne R. Links0Eliana M. Perrin1Sarah Polk2Divya Konduru3Shafkat Meraj4Nakiya N. Showell5Suzanne M. Grieb6Helen Hughes7Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Baltimore Maryland, USA.Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.Objective: To qualitatively explore Medicaid-enrolled parents’ and young adult patients’ perspectives and experiences with telemedicine in pediatric primary care. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants to explore their experiences with telemedicine. Participants consisted of English- and Spanish-speaking parents and young adults (18–21) who engaged in a telemedicine visit between March 15, 2021 and December 31, 2022 at two pediatric primary care clinics whose patients are predominantly insured by Medicaid. A qualitative descriptive design was used to develop a taxonomy. Frequencies were obtained to identify the most prevalent themes. Results: Twenty-six participants (22 parents, 4 young adults) were interviewed. Twelve (46%) participants were English-speaking and 14 (53%) were Spanish-speaking. Four domains were identified, each further classified into themes: pre-visit expectations (option for in-person visit, general anticipation, and specific worries), visit experience (general sentiment, technology, and quality of care), comfort (with overall process, privacy, and communication), and feelings about telemedicine (advantages, disadvantages, and loss of telemedicine). Although many participants had negative expectations of telemedicine prior to their appointment, a majority indicated positive experiences with visits and concerns about a possible future where telemedicine visits at home were no longer covered by their health insurance. Discussion: Most participants indicated positive experiences with telemedicine and perceived negative impact if access was removed. Findings related to perceived quality of care, advantages, and disadvantages suggest that patient preferences and individual circumstances should be taken into account when choosing visit modality in similar settings.https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0028telemedicinepediatricsMedicaidhealth care utilizationpatient perspectivesqualitative
spellingShingle Anne R. Links
Eliana M. Perrin
Sarah Polk
Divya Konduru
Shafkat Meraj
Nakiya N. Showell
Suzanne M. Grieb
Helen Hughes
Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees
Telemedicine Reports
telemedicine
pediatrics
Medicaid
health care utilization
patient perspectives
qualitative
title Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees
title_full Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees
title_fullStr Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees
title_full_unstemmed Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees
title_short Pediatric Primary Care Telemedicine: Perspectives from English- and Spanish-Speaking Medicaid Enrollees
title_sort pediatric primary care telemedicine perspectives from english and spanish speaking medicaid enrollees
topic telemedicine
pediatrics
Medicaid
health care utilization
patient perspectives
qualitative
url https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/tmr.2024.0028
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