Telemedicine Commons^™

Post-Pandemic Telebehavioral Health: Sustaining And Regulating Remote Mental Health Care As A Core Modality, Weiqiao Dong

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

The United States continues to face a persistent mental health crisis after the COVID-19 pandemic, raising a policy question about the long-term role and regulation of telebehavioral health as a core modality of care. This thesis examines that question through a case study of New York State, an early center of the pandemic and a leader in telehealth policy reform.

Guided by the Health Policy Triangle framework, this thesis integrates longitudinal data from all 62 New York counties for 2010-2025 with a 2025 cross-sectional dataset covering 61 counties. Seventeen standardized indicators are organized into four dimensions: geographic, economic, demographic, and …

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Based Psychosocial Interventions To Reduce Anxiety After Social Isolation In Adolescent Females, Bailey E. Noble

InnovateHER Meeting 2026

• COVID-19 social isolation linked with higher anxiety risk in adolescents, especially females
• Review examined whether CBT-based psychosocial interventions reduce anxiety after pandemic-related loneliness/social isolation
• Across 6 studies, remote and internet-delivered CBT linked with anxiety improvement 
• Strongest outcomes seen with therapist-assisted CBT
• Common barriers: privacy, motivation, scheduling, and digital access
• Nursing relevance: early screening, referral, and support for treatment participation

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Teledermatology For Undeserved Populations During And Post-Covid-19, Jakob Gibbs, Sean Hanshaw

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Introduction: Teledermatology, a subset of telemedicine, has gained prominence as a means to increase access to dermatologic care while reducing costs and improving patient satisfaction. The swift expansion of teledermatology during the COVID-19 pandemic was driven by the necessity to limit physical contact and adapt to public health restrictions. This technological shift aimed to address longstanding disparities in dermatology access, especially in rural and underserved populations, and to respond to the rising demand for dermatologic services amid provider shortages.

Purpose of the Study: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects that teledermatology following the COVID-19 pandemic had …

Focus Group Interview: Perspectives Of Virtual Dietary Counseling Methods Post Covid-19 Pandemic, Maria R. Mendoza

All Master's Theses

In response to the prevalence of morbidity and mortality, studies to avert these conditions in a cost-effective and accessible manner are also increasing. Developing new methods to provide nutrition education that are more accessible is critical to reaching individuals who may experience socioeconomic barriers impacting their ability to access healthcare. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions related to different delivery methods of dietary counseling. This qualitative research study will examine the perceptions related to different methods of dietary counseling (telephone calls, video calls, or face-to-face visits). Focus group one contained provider participants (N = 7), which …

An Exploration Of Telemedicine Application Service Quality And Its Relevance With Patient Satisfaction, Victoria Olguin

Honors Program Theses and Research Projects

When the world experienced a pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-virus (COVID-19) in 2019, a lockdown quickly took place and travel restrictions were applied, placing a barrier to in- person healthcare access. This made the healthcare settings practice alternate ways in delivering healthcare that did not necessarily have to be in-person. The evolvement of a remote setting took place, and the development and usage of telemedicine quickly accelerated. This form of healthcare has transformed the way care is delivered to patients, with many key elements shaping their experience and outcomes. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, the practice of telemedicine …

Patient-Reported Convenience And Effectiveness Of Telehealth For Breast Cancer Management, Akshara Singareeka Raghavendra, Kristofer Jennings, Gil Guerra, Debu Tripathy, Meghan S Karuturi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background: Before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, telehealth was rarely used for breast cancer management at tertiary care centers. We sought to examine patient satisfaction, experiences, preferences, and perceived effectiveness and technical quality of telehealth visits in follow-up patients receiving routine outpatient care in the breast medical oncology practice at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Methods: We administered a survey to 60 follow-up patients for a duration of 9 months (January 5, 2021 to October 27, 2021) who had at least one telehealth consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic, from April 10, 2020 to October 21, 2021. …

Telemedicine For Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus In A Publicly Funded Hospital System: Retrospective Study, Sebastian Bruera, Kristen Andrews Staggers, Maria Eugenia Suarez-Almazor, Sandeep Krishna Agarwal

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that requires frequent clinic and laboratory visits. However, patients with SLE, particularly those who are underresourced, have unacceptably high rates of no-shows.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine no-show rates associated with telemedicine visits during the COVID-19 pandemic in comparison to no-show rates associated with contemporaneous and historic in-person visits.

METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study in a publicly funded county hospital system in Houston, Texas. We identified a cohort of established patients with SLE by the International Classification of Diseases codes that were independently confirmed as SLE by …

Impact Of Covid-19 Lockdown On Patient-Provider Electronic Communications, Michael A Hansen, Rebecca Chen, Jacqueline Hirth, James Langabeer, Roger Zoorob

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: SARS CoV-2 virus (COVID-19) impacted the practice of healthcare in the United States, with technology being used to facilitate access to care and reduce iatrogenic spread. Since then, patient message volume to primary care providers has increased. However, the volume and trend of electronic communications after lockdown remain poorly described in the literature.

METHODS: All incoming inbox items (telephone calls, refill requests, and electronic messages) sent to providers from patients amongst four primary care clinics were collected. Inbox item rates were calculated as a ratio of items per patient encountered each week. Trends in inbox rates were assessed during …

The Use Of Telemedicine By Us Nephrologists For In-Center Hemodialysis Care During The Pandemic: An Analysis Of National Medicare Claims, Jingbo Niu, Omar Rosales, Abiodun Oluyomi, Susie Q Lew, Wolfgang C Winkelmayer, Glenn M Chertow, Kevin F Erickson

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE: Because of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the US government issued emergency waivers in March 2020 that removed regulatory barriers around the use of telemedicine. For the first time, nephrologists were reimbursed for telemedicine care delivered during in-center hemodialysis. We examined the use of telemedicine for in-center hemodialysis during the first 16 months of the pandemic.

STUDY DESIGN: We ascertained telemedicine modifiers on nephrologist claims. We used multivariable regression to examine time trends and patient, dialysis facility, and geographic correlates of telemedicine use. We also examined whether the estimated effects of predictors of telemedicine use changed over time. …

Stroke Survivors’ Telemedicine Experiences During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Investigation, Barbara Kimmel, Annette Walder, Anette Ovalle, Chethan P Venkatasubba Rao, Sean I Savitz, Mark Goldberg, Steven Warach, Salvador Cruz-Flores, Daiwai M Olson, Jane A Anderson

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe stroke survivors' experiences receiving telemedicine visits at the Lone Star Stroke Consortium during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was applied to gather patients' telemedicine experiences through in-depth interviews, using a study guide. Audio-recorded interviews were conducted via ZOOM and transcribed verbatim. Two independent reviewers used the Giorgi descriptive method to analyze the data and search for the essence of stroke survivors' follow-up telemedicine experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS: Fifteen underserved patients were recruited: mean age, 51.8 (15.7), and 9 (60%) females. Three themes emerged: (1) vivid memory …

Post-Covid-19 Cognitive Symptoms In Patients Assisted By A Teleassistance Service: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Lívia Paula Freire Bonfim, Thais Rotsen Correa, Bruno Cabaleiro Cortizo Freire, Thais Marques Pedroso, Daniella Nunes Pereira, Thalita Baptisteli Fernandes, Luciane Kopittke, Clara Rodrigues Alves De Oliveira, Antonio Lucio Teixeira, Milena Soriano Marcolino

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Four years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the frequency of long-term post-COVID-19 cognitive symptoms is a matter of concern given the impact it may have on the work and quality of life of affected people.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of post-acute COVID-19 cognitive symptoms, as well as the associated risk factors.

METHODS: Retrospective cohort, including outpatients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 and who were assisted by a public telehealth service provided by the Telehealth Network of Minas Gerais (TNMG), during the acute phase of the disease, between December/2020 and March/2022. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, applied …

Factors Associated With Hepatitis C-Related Hospitalizations And Inpatient Mortality In The United States, Pre- And Post-Onset Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Christina R. Samuel

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Hepatitis C is a significant public health problem in the United States and imposes a substantial burden on the healthcare system. Previous research shows that the COVID-19 pandemic response efforts have overshadowed hepatitis C testing and treatment measures in health care settings across the country. The purpose of this study was to describe and examine the factors associated with hepatitis C-related hospitalizations and inpatient mortality in the United States, pre- and post-onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2019-2020 National Inpatient Sample database. The study population included persons aged ≥18 years with hepatitis C-related inpatient …

Cancer Patients' Preferences And Perceptions Of Advantages And Disadvantages Of Telehealth Visits During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Deepika Kumar, Nancy Gordon, Constanza Zamani, Tammy Sheehan, Ernesto Martin, Olga Egorova, Jessica Payne, Tatjana Kolevska, Elad Neeman, Raymond Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: We aimed to ascertain oncology patients' perceptions of telehealth versus in-person (IP) visits for different types of clinical encounters.

METHODS: We surveyed adults undergoing cancer treatment at Kaiser Permanente Northern California infusion centers between November 2021 and May 2022 using a self-administered questionnaire. Patients were asked about visit modality preferences (video, phone, and IP) for six types of clinical discussions, overall advantages and disadvantages of telehealth (video or phone) versus IP modalities, and barriers to video visit use.

RESULTS: The 839 patients who completed surveys in English were 63% female; median age 63 years; 64% White; and 73% college-educated …

A Scoping Review Of Digital Health Interventions For Combating Covid-19 Misinformation And Disinformation, Katarzyna Czerniak, Raji Pillai, Abhi Parmar, Kavita Ramnath, Joseph Krocker, Sahiti Myneni

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

OBJECTIVE: We provide a scoping review of Digital Health Interventions (DHIs) that mitigate COVID-19 misinformation and disinformation seeding and spread.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We applied our search protocol to PubMed, PsychINFO, and Web of Science to screen 1666 articles. The 17 articles included in this paper are experimental and interventional studies that developed and tested public consumer-facing DHIs. We examined these DHIs to understand digital features, incorporation of theory, the role of healthcare professionals, end-user experience, and implementation issues.

RESULTS: The majority of studies (n = 11) used social media in DHIs, but there was a lack of platform-agnostic generalizability. …

Pediatric Consultation-Liaison Psychology: Insights And Lessons Learned During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Nicole M Schneider, Dara M Steinberg, Andrea M Garcia, Jessy Guler, Emily Mudd, A Monica Agoston, Katherine N Schwartzkopf, Kristin A Kullgren, Laura Judd-Glossy

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

COVID-19 has presented a variety of challenges to the provision of psychology services. In the first month of the pandemic, pediatric consultation-liaison (CL) psychologists reported significant changes in methodology of service delivery (Steinberg et al. in Clin Pract Pediatr Psychol 9:1, 2020). To better understand how and if these changes persisted, as well as other emerging trends, a follow-up study examined changes and challenges six months into the pandemic. An anonymous questionnaire assessed topics related to pediatric CL psychology including practice changes, perception of changes, and institutional support. The questionnaire was sent to the APA Society of Pediatric Society's special …

Conducting Clinical Genomics Research During The Covid-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned From The Cser Consortium Experience, Stephanie A Kraft, Heidi Russell, Jeannette T Bensen, Katherine E Bonini, Jill O Robinson, Nuriye Sahin-Hodoglugil, Kathleen Renna, Lucia A Hindorff, Dave Kaufman, Carol R Horowitz, Margaret Waltz, Jamilyn M Zepp, Sara J Knight

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Clinical research studies have navigated many changes throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to describe the pandemic's impact on research operations in the context of a clinical genomics research consortium that aimed to enroll a majority of participants from underrepresented populations. We interviewed (July to November 2020) and surveyed (May to August 2021) representatives of six projects in the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research (CSER) consortium, which studies the implementation of genome sequencing in the clinical care of patients from populations that are underrepresented in genomics research or are medically underserved. Questions focused on COVID's impact on participant recruitment, enrollment, and …

Telemedicine Use Among Physiatrists During The Early Phase Of The Covid-19 Pandemic And Potential For Future Use, Sameer Siddiqui, Ellen Farr, Nathaniel Dusto, Liqi Chen, Masha Kocherginsky, Felicia Skelton, Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez, Sujin Lee

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

“So Many Extra Safety Layers:” Virtual Service Provision And Implementing Social Distancing In Interpersonal Violence Service Agencies During Covid-19, Rachel J Voth Schrag, Sarah Leat, Bethany Backes, Saltanat Childress, Leila Wood

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The coronavirus pandemic necessitated rapid shifts in approach for service providers working with survivors of interpersonal violence. To reduce the spread of the virus, providers and agencies implemented a rapid and unplanned expansion of virtual services while also developing new protocols to support safe and socially distant in-person services. To understand how these shifts have impacted victim service professionals and the survivors they serve, to provide guidance for on-going efforts, and to inform planning for future public health emergencies, this study asks the question: What approaches did the interpersonal violence workforce use to address social distancing needs during COVID-19? Semi-structured …

Burnout During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Report On Pediatric Residents, Linessa M Zuniga, Abigail Schuh, Alan Schwartz, Patricia Seo-Mayer, Rachel Cramton, Kira Sieplinga, Ruchi Kaushik, Lauren Nassetta, Jason H Homme, Jessica Babal, John D Mahan, Maneesh Batra

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background and objective: The Pediatric Resident Burnout and Resilience Consortium (PRB-RSC) has described the epidemiology of burnout in pediatric residents since 2016. We hypothesized burnout rates during the pandemic would increase. We explored resident burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic and its relationship to resident perception of workload, training, personal life, and local COVID burden.

Methods: Since 2016, PRB-RSC has sent an annual, confidential survey to over 30 pediatric and medicine-pediatrics residencies. In 2020 and 2021, seven questions were added to explore the relationship of COVID-19 and perceptions of workload, training, and personal life.

Results: In 2019, 46 programs participated, 22 …

Patient Preference For Virtual Versus In-Person Visits In Neuromuscular Clinical Practice, Komal Hafeez, Hani Kushlaf, Husam Al-Sultani, Anny-Claude Joseph, Zoya Zaeem, Zaeem Siddiqi, Shannon Laboy, Michael Pulley, Ali A Habib, Nathaniel M Robbins, Sean Zadeh, Muhammad Ubaid Hafeez, Yessar Hussain, Alexandria Melendez-Zaidi, Charles Kassardjian, Kristin Johnson, Holly Leonhard, Suur Biliciler, Jorge E Patino Murillas, Aziz I Shaibani

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION/AIMS: It is unknown if patients with neuromuscular diseases prefer in-person or virtual telemedicine visits. We studied patient opinions and preference on virtual versus in-person visits, and the factors influencing such preferences.

METHODS: Telephone surveys, consisting of 11 questions, of patients from 10 neuromuscular centers were completed.

RESULTS: Five hundred and twenty surveys were completed. Twenty-six percent of respondents preferred virtual visits, while 50% preferred in-person visits. Sixty-four percent reported physical interaction as "very important." For receiving a new diagnosis, 55% preferred in-person vs 35% reporting no preference. Forty percent were concerned about a lack of physical examination vs 20% …

Telerounding: A Scoping Review And Implications For Future Healthcare Practice, Natasha N Ludwig, Amanda E Child, Dasal Tenzin Jashar, Allison J Mostow, Ericka L Wodka

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) provides access to interventions that are important for fostering development and improving quality of life. Thus, the timeliness of a diagnosis should not be limited by social-distancing limitations whenever possible. Despite this, clear guidance for transitioning autism diagnostic services to a telehealth model of care in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic is lacking. At our Institute, we have adapted our approach to ASD evaluation to promote continued access to evaluation services during this unprecedented time. The purpose of this case series is to provide examples of three different approaches to ASD differential …

Michigan Plan For Appropriate Tailored Healthcare In Pregnancy Prenatal Care Recommendations: A Practical Guide For Maternity Care Clinicians, Alex Friedman Peahl, Mark Turrentine, Wanda Barfield, Sean C Blackwell, Christopher M Zahn

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Prenatal care is an important preventive service designed to improve the health of pregnant patients and their infants. Prenatal care delivery recommendations have remained unchanged since 1930, when the 12-14 in-person visit schedule was first established to detect preeclampsia. In 2020, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, in collaboration with the University of Michigan, convened a panel of maternity care experts to determine new prenatal care delivery recommendations. The panel recognized the need to include emerging evidence and experience, including significant changes in prenatal care delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-existing knowledge of the importance of individualized care plans, …

Pain Management And Telemedicine: A Look At The Covid Experience And Beyond, Jamal Hasoon, Ivan Urits, Omar Viswanath, Alan D Kaye

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

COVID-19 caused a drastic change in clinical medicine around the globe. In the United States, telemedicine was rapidly adopted on a wide scale to minimize direct patient interaction and to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Telemedicine also went hand in hand with the rapid movement of working remotely. This has provided several challenges to chronic pain management clinics along with other subspecialties. Telemedicine has also opened opportunities for providing valuable care for patients with significant barriers to healthcare professionals. Given the benefits and downfalls of telemedicine, it is ultimately up to the provider who has an established patient-physician …

Managing The Unseen: Pandemic Prophylactics, Placebos & Panaciea, Nancy K. Lankton, Avinandan Mukherjee

Accounting Faculty Research

Introduction: The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, when the disease had spread to 114 countries, infecting more than 118,000 people and killing almost 4,300.¹ As of mid-February 2021, over 109 million people worldwide had been infected with the virus and over 2.4 million people had died. COVID-19 is a pandemic of epic proportions that has changed the way we live, work, and do business.

This call for papers solicited manuscripts describing and analyzing the intersection of management, COVID-19, and the workplace. The goal was to create a special issue that would inform …