Publication date: Nov 03, 2024

To characterise telehealth use, reasons for using or not using telehealth and the factors associated with telehealth use among US adults with diabetes. A cross-sectional study. Data were sourced from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey. US adults aged 18 years or older with self-reported diagnosis of diabetes (both type 1 and type 2). Past 12-month utilisation of telehealth services, modality (eg, video, voice only), overall perception of quality of care, perceived trust in healthcare system and patient-centred communication score. In an analysis of 1116 US adults with diabetes, representing 33. 6 million individuals, 48. 1% reported telehealth use in the past year. Telehealth users were likely to be younger, women, with higher income, and urban dwellers. Older adults (≥65 years) were less likely to use telehealth compared with those aged 18-49 years (OR 0. 43, 95% CI 0. 20 to 0. 90). Higher income and more frequent healthcare visits were predictors of telehealth usage, with no significant differences across race, education or location. Across respondents with telehealth usage, 39. 3% reported having video-only, 35. 0% having phone (voice)-only and 25. 7% having both modalities. The main motivations included provider recommendation, convenience, COVID-19 avoidance and guidance on in-person care needs. Non-users cited preferences for in-person visits, privacy concerns and technology challenges. Patient-reported quality-of-care outcomes were comparable between telehealth users and non-users, with no significant differences observed by telehealth modality or area of residence (metro status). Around half of US adults with diabetes used telehealth services in the past year. Patient-reported care quality was similar for telehealth and in-person visits. However, further efforts are needed to address key barriers to telehealth adoption, including privacy concern, technology difficulties, and care coordination issues.

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