Telehealth for Rural Veterans in the United States
A Systematic Review of Utilization, Cost Savings, and Impact of Covid-19
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16901167 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bright Parker Quayson (0000-0002-6673-1485), Jill Hough (0000-0001-7032-9221), Rebecca Boateng, Isaac Duah Boateng (0000-0002-0900-3027), Ranjit Godavarthy (0000-0002-7009-0692), Jeremy Mattson (0000-0002-0826-5834) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 12 |
| Pages | 264 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Societies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2075-4698 • E-ISSN: 2075-4698 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/soc14120264 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 75 |
Veterans living in rural areas of the United States face various health challenges that demand timely access to care to improve their well-being and quality of life. Telehealth (i.e., the use of telecommunications technology to connect people with care providers remotely) has become vital in addressing the accessibility gap for people constrained by vehicle ownership, income, geographic isolation, and limited access to specialists. This study aims to examine the current evidence on rural veterans’ use of telehealth for their healthcare needs, evaluates the cost savings associated with telehealth, as well as veterans’ use of telehealth during COVID-19. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted on three databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus) to select relevant articles published from 2017 to 2023. A total of 36 articles met the inclusion criteria and were categorized into three objectives: veterans’ medical conditions managed through telehealth (n = 24), veterans’ transportation cost savings using telehealth (n = 4), and telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 8). The results indicated that telehealth is a viable option for managing various medical conditions of rural veterans, including complex ones like diabetes and cancer. Additionally, telemedicine was a useful platform in bridging the healthcare accessibility gap during disasters or pandemics like COVID-19 evident from its increased usage during the pandemic. Lastly, telehealth was associated with cost and time savings between USD 65.29 and USD 72.94 per visit and 2.10 and 2.60 h per visit, respectively. However, the feasibility of telehealth for veterans’ medical conditions such as rheumatism, cancer, HIV, and diabetes is underexplored and calls for further investigation post-COVID-19. Lastly, the limited literature on rural veterans’ transportation cost savings using different mobility options—taxi, Uber, public transportation, and rides from friends and family—is another critical gap
Telehealth Benefits and Barriers
The PRISMA 2020 statement
Whole Health coaching to rural Veterans through telehealth
Barriers and facilitators to implementing a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Telemental Health (TMH) program for rural veterans
Gender disparity in telehealth usage in Bangladesh during Covid-19
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on cancer care including innovations implemented in Sub-Saharan Africa
Rural Veterans with HIV and Alcohol Use Disorder receive less video telehealth than urban Veterans
Increasing access to care for trauma‐exposed rural veterans
Article of the Year, Telehealth Services, and More in the Summer 2019 Issue of The Journal of Rural Health
Rural and urban differences in the implementation of Virtual Integrated Patient‐Aligned Care Teams
Meeting the Needs of Rural Veterans
Veterans’ Use of Telehealth for Veterans Health Administration Community Care Urgent Care During the Early Covid-19 Pandemic
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |