Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May 1;42(4):314-321.
doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000897.

Use of Telehealth in Fellowship-Affiliated Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kate E Wallis  1   2   3 , Christina Mulé  4   5 , Shruti Mittal  6 , Natalie Cerda  7 , Rebecca Shaffer  8 , Angela Scott  9 , Diane Langkamp  10   11 , Marilyn Augustyn  12 , Ellen Perrin  13 , Neelkamal Soares  14 , Nathan J Blum  1   2
Affiliations

Use of Telehealth in Fellowship-Affiliated Developmental Behavioral Pediatric Practices During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Kate E Wallis et al. J Dev Behav Pediatr. .

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to describe the use of telehealth in developmental behavioral pediatric (DBP) fellowship-affiliated practices during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic.

Methods: An electronic survey was disseminated to all DBP fellowship-associated practice locations to determine the use of telehealth in DBP care provision, before and since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We analyzed responses using descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 35 of 42 eligible practice sites responded (83% response rate). Most sites (51.4%) reported using telehealth less than once per month before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the onset of COVID-19, 100% of programs reported conducting video-based telehealth visits multiple days per week. Most sites reported conducting evaluations and follow-up visits for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral concerns, developmental delay, genetic disorders, and learning disability. Most sites were able to continue medication management by telehealth (>88%), offer interpreter services for families with limited English proficiency participating in telehealth visits (>90%), and incorporate trainees and interdisciplinary team members in telehealth visits (>90%). Greater variability was observed in sites' ability to collect telehealth practice evaluation measures.

Conclusion: Most sites are providing evaluations and ongoing care for DBP conditions through telehealth. The rapid adoption of telehealth can have ramifications for the way that DBP care is delivered in the future; therefore, it is imperative to understand current practice patterns and variations to determine the best use of telehealth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Langkamp DL, McManus MD, Blakemore SD. Telemedicine for children with developmental disabilities: a more effective clinical process than office-based care. Telemed J E Health. 2015;21:110–114.
    1. Burke BL, Hall RW. Telemedicine: pediatric applications. Pediatrics. 2015;136:e293–e308.
    1. Soares NS, Johnson AO, Patidar N. Geomapping telehealth access to developmental-behavioral pediatrics. Telemed J E Health. 2013;19:585–590.
    1. Juárez AP, Weitlauf AS, Nicholson A, et al. Early identification of ASD through telemedicine: potential value for underserved populations. J Autism Dev Disord. 2018;48:2601–2610.
    1. Oberleitner R, Elison-Bowers P, Reischl U, et al. Optimizing the personal health record with special video capture for the treatment of autism. J Dev Phys Disabilities. 2007;19:513–518.

MeSH terms