Physician Views of Telehealth for Special Populations of Older Adults: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

This study's objective was to determine how frontline physicians perceived telehealth for older adults with sensory impairments, cognitive impairments, mobility challenges, or those receiving end-of-life care. We conducted a multiple-methods study of US emergency, geriatric, and primary care physicians. Phase 1 involved semi-structured interviews with 48 physicians on their experiences using telehealth with older adults. In phase 2, we used those qualitative findings to generate a web-based survey administered to 74 physicians. In phase 3, we reintegrated qualitative data to enrich survey results. We identified 3 key findings: (1) 50% of emergency physicians, 33% of geriatricians, and 18% of primary care physicians considered telehealth to be a poor substitute for providing end-of-life care ( p = .68); (2) for hearing, vision, and cognitive impairments, 61%, 58%, and 54%, respectively, saw telehealth as a good or fair substitute for providing care ( p = .14); and (3) 98% indicated that telehealth was a good or fair substitute for in-person care for those with mobility impairment ( p < .001). Preferences and comfort using telehealth with older adults vary by clinical context, patient population, and physician specialty, requiring tailored adaptations.