AMA Poll: Most Physicians Continuing to Use Telehealth

MONDAY, March 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The majority of physicians have embraced telehealth and expect to use it even more in the future, according to the results of a survey released by the American Medical Association.

The survey, which included 2,232 physician respondents, was conducted as a follow-up to the 2020 COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition survey.

According to the results of the survey, most physicians are using telehealth (85 percent), and most users (93 percent) are conducting live, interactive video visits with patients, while 69 percent are conducting audio-only visits. Only 8 percent of respondents report using remote patient monitoring technologies (e.g., smartphone camera, blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, and body weight scales); 76 percent report that these data are usually shared manually (either over the phone or via email). Six in 10 respondents agree or strongly agree that telehealth enabled them to provide high-quality care, while just over half (56 percent) are motivated to increase telehealth use in their practices.

"A majority of respondents were interested in sustaining telehealth in their practice, indicating that physicians want to see telehealth remain an available modality for care delivery," the authors of the survey write. "Key areas of opportunity to address as physicians, practices, and health systems optimize telehealth include: ensuring equitable access for under-resourced patient populations and communities; developing telehealth workflow best practices to create efficiencies; and integration of telehealth and supporting technologies with the electronic health record."

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