Comparison of willingness and preference for genetic counseling via telemedicine: before vs. during the COVID-19 pandemic

dc.contributor.authorAllison, Camille O.
dc.contributor.authorPrucka, Sandra K.
dc.contributor.authorFitzgerald‑Butt, Sara M.
dc.contributor.authorHelm, Benjamin M.
dc.contributor.authorLah, Melissa
dc.contributor.authorWetherill, Leah
dc.contributor.authorBaud, Rebecca E.
dc.contributor.departmentMedical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicineen_US
dc.date.accessioned2023-07-18T13:16:51Z
dc.date.available2023-07-18T13:16:51Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.description.abstractThe COVID-19 pandemic required genetic counseling services, like most outpatient healthcare, to rapidly adopt a telemedicine model. Understanding the trends in patients' preferences for telemedicine relative to in-person service delivery both before and after the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic may aid in navigating how best to integrate telemedicine in a post-COVID-19 era. Our study explored how respondents' willingness to use, and preference for, telemedicine differed from before to after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents included patients, or their parent/guardian, seen in a general medical genetics clinic in 2018, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Respondents were surveyed regarding their willingness to use telemedicine, preference for telemedicine relative to in-person care, and the influence of various factors. Among 69 pre-COVID-19 and 40 current-COVID-19 respondents, there was no shift in willingness to use, or preference for, telemedicine across these time periods. About half of respondents (50.6%) preferred telemedicine visits for the future. Of the 49.4% who preferred in-person visits, 79.1% were still willing to have visits via telemedicine. Predictors of these preferences included comfort with technology and prioritization of convenience of location. This study suggests that a hybrid care model, utilizing telemedicine and in-person service delivery, may be most appropriate to meet the needs of the diverse patients served. Concern for COVID-19 was not found to predict willingness or preference, suggesting that our findings may be generalizable in post-pandemic contexts.en_US
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen_US
dc.identifier.citationAllison CO, Prucka SK, Fitzgerald-Butt SM, et al. Comparison of willingness and preference for genetic counseling via telemedicine: before vs. during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Community Genet. 2022;13(4):449-458. doi:10.1007/s12687-022-00598-9en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1805/34451
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherSpringeren_US
dc.relation.isversionof10.1007/s12687-022-00598-9en_US
dc.relation.journalJournal of Community Geneticsen_US
dc.rightsPublisher Policyen_US
dc.sourcePMCen_US
dc.subjectTelemedicineen_US
dc.subjectTelegeneticsen_US
dc.subjectGenetic counselingen_US
dc.subjectCOVID-19en_US
dc.subjectPatient preferenceen_US
dc.titleComparison of willingness and preference for genetic counseling via telemedicine: before vs. during the COVID-19 pandemicen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
ul.alternative.fulltexthttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9261179/en_US
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