Use of E-Health in Dutch General Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Jelle Keuper,Ronald Batenburg,Lilian Van Tuyl,Robert Verheij

doi:10.3390/ijerph182312479

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced general practices to search for possibilities to provide healthcare remotely (e.g., e-health). In this study, the impact of the pandemic on the use of e-health in general practices in the Netherlands was investigated. In addition, the intention of practices to continue using e-health more intensively and differences in the use of e-health between practice types were investigated. For this purpose, web surveys were sent to general practices in April and July 2020. Descriptive data analysis was performed and differences in the use of e-health between practice types were tested using one-way ANOVA. Response rates were 34% (n = 1433) in April and 17% (n = 719) in July. The pandemic invoked an increased use of several (new) e-health applications. A minority of practices indicated the intention to maintain this increased use. In addition, small differences in the use of e-health between the different practice types were found. This study showed that although there was an increased uptake of e-health in Dutch general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic, only a minority of practices intends to maintain this increased use in the future. This may point towards a temporary uptake of digital healthcare delivery rather than accelerated implementation of digital processes.

Highlights

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted healthcare delivery worldwide [1]
This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the uptake and use of e-health in Dutch general practices and their intention to continue the use of ehealth after the pandemic
Looking at the differences in the use of e-health between the two distinct moments, we showed that the use of video consultations in July was much lower compared to the first time use and intensified use of this application together in April

Summary

Introduction

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted healthcare delivery worldwide [1]. With social distancing as one of the main measures taken by governments to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus, healthcare providers were forced to become creative in providing care [2]. Traditional physical consultations needed to be reduced to a minimum during the pandemic, creating opportunities for innovative forms of healthcare delivery. This need to change can be clearly seen in the organization of Dutch primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Netherlands, general practices operate as the first point of contact for citizens having health problems and questions about their health [3]. Access to medical specialist care is only possible after a referral of the general practitioner (GP)

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Conclusion