[Skip to Content]

Claim CME

Public Health

Factors Associated With Use of and Satisfaction With Telehealth by Adults in Rural Virginia During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Educational Objective
To identify the key insights or developments described in this article

1 Credit CME

JAMA Network Open

Published Online: August 5, 2021

Research Letter

Article Information and Disclosures

Maria D. Thomson, PhD^1,2;

Abigail C. Mariani, MPH¹;

April R. Williams, MS, CNS, LDN¹;

Arnethea L. Sutton, PhD^1,2;

Vanessa B. Sheppard, PhD^1,2

Author Affiliations

¹Department of Health Behavior and Policy, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond
²Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, Virginia

Read article on JAMA Network

Read Article Claim CME

COVID-19 has accelerated the expansion of telehealth, heralding an opportunity to integrate technology into clinical care delivery in new and purposeful ways. However, there are disparities among people in rural communities that limit opportunities to gain experience and comfort using technology for health information and services, including lower home broadband access, lower health literacy, and less use of online health information compared with urban populations.¹^,2 In this survey study, we examine the use of and satisfaction with telehealth services during the pandemic in a predominantly rural sample and estimate the magnitude of the association between demographic and health characteristics, health literacy, internet access, and the odds of using telehealth.

Claim CME

Sign in to take quiz and track your certificates

Buy This Activity

Article Information

Accepted for Publication: May 28, 2021.

Published: August 5, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.19530

Open Access: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the CC-BY License. © 2021 Thomson MD et al. JAMA Network Open.

Corresponding Author: Maria D. Thomson, PhD, Department of Health Behavior and Policy, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, One Capitol Square, 4th Fl, Richmond, VA 23298 (maria.thomson@vcuhealth.org).

Author Contributions: Dr Thomson had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.

Concept and design: Thomson, Sheppard.

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: All authors.

Drafting of the manuscript: All authors.

Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Thomson, Mariani, Williams, Sheppard.

Statistical analysis: Thomson, Mariani.

Obtained funding: Thomson, Sheppard.

Administrative, technical, or material support: Thomson, Williams, Sutton, Sheppard.

Supervision: Thomson, Sheppard.

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: None reported.

Funding/Support: This study was funded by the Virginia Commonwealth University Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and the C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research.

Role of the Funder/Sponsor: The funders had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication.

References

Perrin A . Digital gap between rural and nonrural America persists. Pew Research Center. Published May 31, 2019. Accessed July 1, 2021. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/05/31/digital-gap-between-rural-and-nonrural-america-persists/

Zahnd WE , Scaife SL , Francis ML . Health literacy skills in rural and urban populations. Am J Health Behav. 2009;33(5):550-557. doi:10.5993/AJHB.33.5.8 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

Parmanto B , Lewis AN Jr , Graham KM , Bertolet MH . Development of the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire (TUQ). Int J Telerehabil. 2016;8(1):3-10. doi:10.5195/ijt.2016.6196 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

Chew LD , Griffin JM , Partin MR , et al. Validation of screening questions for limited health literacy in a large VA outpatient population. J Gen Intern Med. 2008;23(5):561-566. doi:10.1007/s11606-008-0520-5 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

US Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. Rural-urban continuum codes. Published December 10, 2020. Accessed July 1, 2021. https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/rural-urban-continuum-codes/

Sarkar U , Karter AJ , Liu JY , Moffet HH , Adler NE , Schillinger D . Hypoglycemia is more common among type 2 diabetes patients with limited health literacy: the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE). J Gen Intern Med. 2010;25(9):962-968. doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1389-7 PubMed Google Scholar Crossref

AMA CME Accreditation Information

Credit Designation Statement: The American Medical Association designates this Journal-based CME activity activity for a maximum of 1.00  AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to:

1.00 Medical Knowledge MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;;
1.00 Self-Assessment points in the American Board of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery’s (ABOHNS) Continuing Certification program;
1.00 MOC points in the American Board of Pediatrics’ (ABP) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program;
1.00 Lifelong Learning points in the American Board of Pathology’s (ABPath) Continuing Certification program; and
1.00 credit toward the CME [and Self-Assessment requirements] of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting MOC credit.