How Telemedicine Can Transform Pediatric Healthcare

For children with complex health needs, regular access to healthcare professionals is essential. However, frequent in-person visits can pose significant challenges for families, including travel, time off work, and managing other daily responsibilities.

A recent study published in Frontiers in Digital Health offers critical insights into how telemedicine can alleviate these burdens, enhance healthcare access, and improve outcomes for patients facing such obstacles.

The research also shows that while telemedicine has the potential to transform healthcare access for children with barriers to in-person services, its effectiveness hinges on addressing disparities in connectivity and access to digital devices like laptops and tablets.

The Telemedicine Advantage

Telemedicine can relieve families from the logistical issues of physically getting to the clinic, leading to fewer missed appointments and more consistent care. This can be especially relevant for families living in rural settings or lacking reliable transportation. Children with difficulties or pain moving their bodies can also greatly benefit from telemedicine.

The study found that telemedicine significantly reduces missed appointments and improves patient engagement through virtual consultations. For families with children who have complex health needs and are unable to attend frequent in-person appointments, this consistency can be life-changing.

Telemedicine and the Digital Divide

While telemedicine holds immense promise, there is a concern that it could worsen the digital divide, particularly for families without reliable internet access, appropriate devices, or digital literacy skills. The authors of the study stress that addressing these barriers is critical to ensuring telemedicine works for everyone, not just those who already have easy access to technology.

“Often, populations facing greater challenges to in-person visits are also those that have been minoritized or systemically disadvantaged. If those same patients cannot access telemedicine services, telemedicine may instead worsen inequities in healthcare access and health itself,” said Joshua Bell, MD, a UCSF pediatric resident and first author of the study.

The study findings show that offering devices, internet access, and tech support is appreciated by patients and effectively facilitates telemedicine access by bridging the digital divide.

Insights for Researchers

As telemedicine continues to evolve, research into its effectiveness and accessibility becomes increasingly important. One of the most valuable insights from the study is the urgent need for more research that focuses on improving access to telemedicine for pediatric patients and their families, especially those facing the greatest barriers to care.

"It’s also crucial that these studies aim for diversity, especially regarding race, ethnicity, gender, and primary language. Many of the studies we reviewed were limited by homogenous participant groups,” said Bell.

By including diverse populations in telemedicine studies, researchers can develop solutions that benefit all children, particularly those from marginalized or underserved communities who often face the most significant obstacles to in-person care. Additionally, while many current studies focus on telemedicine’s feasibility, measuring long-term outcomes is essential.

“Ultimately, we still need more telemedicine programs and research in pediatrics to identify innovative ways to address the digital divide. This is a new opportunity for medicine to impact children that would otherwise be out of reach,” said Bell.