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Disparities in Eye Care Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
PURPOSE: To assess the relationship between telemedicine utilization and sociodemographic factors among patients seeking eye care. DESIGN: Comparative utilization analysis. METHODS: We reviewed the eye care utilization patterns of a stratified random sample of 1720 patients who were seen at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 30 to May 25, 2020) and their odds of having a video, phone, or in-person visit compared with having a deferred visit. Associations between independent variables and visit type were determined using a multinomial logistic regression model. RESULTS: Older patients had lower odds of having a video visit (P = .007) and higher odds of having an in-person visit (P = .023) compared with being deferred, and in the nonretina clinic sample, older patients still had lower odds of a video visit (P = .02). Non-White patients had lower odds of having an in-person visit (P < .02) in the overall sample compared with being deferred, with a similar trend seen in the retina clinic. The mean neighborhood median household income was $76,200 (±$33,500) and varied significantly (P < .0001) by race with Blacks having the lowest estimated mean income. CONCLUSION: Disparities exist in how patients accessed eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic with older patients-those for whom COVID-19 posed a higher risk of mortality-being more likely to be seen for in-person care. In our affluent participant sample, there was a trend toward non-White patients being less likely to access care. Reimbursing telemedicine solely through broadband internet connection may further exacerbate disparities in eye care.
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Related Subject Headings
- Telemedicine
- Sociodemographic Factors
- SARS-CoV-2
- Pandemics
- Ophthalmology & Optometry
- Michigan
- Humans
- Healthcare Disparities
- Health Services Accessibility
- Health Services
Citation
![Journal cover image](https://secure.syndetics.com/index.aspx?isbn=/lc.gif&issn=1879-1891&client=dukeuniv)
Published In
DOI
EISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Start / End Page
Location
Related Subject Headings
- Telemedicine
- Sociodemographic Factors
- SARS-CoV-2
- Pandemics
- Ophthalmology & Optometry
- Michigan
- Humans
- Healthcare Disparities
- Health Services Accessibility
- Health Services