Telehealth has significantly altered the healthcare landscape, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the many benefits of telehealth, according to research, is its ability to improve access to quality healthcare. For example, telehealth appears to be a powerful tool for improving overall access to care for a range of health conditions as well as improving overall health outcomes in certain situations.
Telehealth has also proven capable of addressing barriers to access related to geographical locations, particularly for individuals living in remote rural areas. A new research study conducted by a team at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio adds to the growing evidence of telehealth’s access benefits for people in remote areas. The study specifically examines the role telehealth played in helping nurseries in south Texas reduce their prescribing of antibiotics to newborns. Results of the study study are published in Pediatrics.
Despite their vital role as a bacterial infection treatment option, antibiotics need to be used very carefully. In both adults and children, antibiotics can disrupt the bacterial ecosystem in the gut (known as the gut microbiome). While this can have significant health impacts in adults, these impacts are especially pronounced in children and infants. When this ecosystem is thrown out of balance, infants don’t have the necessary “good” bacteria they need to avoid certain health problems, such as food allergies. That’s why finding ways to minimize antibiotic use for infants is crucial.
The study in Pediatrics explores whether telehealth can be a way to help rural and medically underserved communities find ways to avoid antibiotics when possible. They chose south Texas because several areas had little or no access to healthcare providers. The study followed eight nurseries in south Texas over a three year period, resulting in about 9,000 infants observed. The nurseries had access to a pediatric infectious disease expert over telehealth during that time.
Overall, the results show that with access to telehealth consultations, the nurseries reduced their antibiotic use for infants by nearly a third (32%), showing that telehealth can provide rural areas with quality, effective healthcare.
Sources: EurekaAlert!; Annual Review of Public Health; Pediatrics
