A Rutgers Health study suggests telehealth could be a viable long-term option for people living with HIV, potentially saving them time, effort and expense related to in-person medical visits. The study found patients receiving in-person care before the COVID-19 pandemic adapted well to telehealth appointments, maintaining their treatment regimens and health outcomes during the early stages of the crisis.
“For folks who see their doctors several times a year and don’t need to give biosamples at every visit, telehealth visits can improve quality of life while maintaining medical efficacy,” said Kristen Krause, an assistant professor at the Rutgers School of Public Health and the study’s first author. “There are a lot of upsides to telehealth, assuming it works as well as in-person visits. It saves patients’ time. It reduces cars on the road. If patients are sick, it keeps them home and slows disease transmission.”
Researchers interviewed 133 patients living with HIV in Essex County, New Jersey, about their pandemic-era health experiences between October 2020 and June 2021. The shift to telehealth didn’t appear to hinder patients’ HIV treatment, said researchers, adding that 98.5 percent of participants were able to see or speak with an HIV healthcare provider during the pandemic. About 9.4 percent reported having trouble obtaining their antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication after March 4, 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions began in New Jersey. To read the full story.