Racial and ethnic disparities in family planning telehealth use during the onset of the COVID-19 response in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma

Contraception. 2021 May 28:S0010-7824(21)00177-3. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2021.05.016. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: To explore racial/ethnic disparities in family planning telehealth use.

STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed telehealth and in-clinic visits (n = 3,142) from ten family planning clinics (April 1-July 31 2020) by race/ethnicity and month.

RESULTS: Telehealth comprised 1,257/3,142 (40.0%) of overall visits. Telehealth was used by 242/765 (31.6%) of Black/African American and 31/106 (29.2%) multiracial patients. Patients with unknown (162/295, 54.9%), White (771/1,870, 41.2%), and other (51/106, 48.1%) identities comprised the majority of telehealth visits.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study found disparities in telehealth use during the COVID-19 pandemic response.

IMPLICATIONS: Understanding barriers and facilitators to telehealth is critical to reducing disparities in access.

PMID:34058223 | DOI:10.1016/j.contraception.2021.05.016