Medscape November 21, 2023
Telehealth has been a boon for modern-day patients, allowing people who might have difficulty accessing in-person appointments to continue seeing their physicians. But how many patients actually follow through on your recommendations afterward?
A new study suggests that many patients don’t complete recommended diagnostic tests or specialist referrals after appointments with their primary care physicians, especially when those appointments take place via telehealth.
Investigators retrospectively examined test and referral orders for more than 4000 patients to see how many complied with recommendations to have a colonoscopy, consult a dermatologist for a suspicious skin lesion, or undergo a cardiac stress test.
Completion of a recommended test or specialty referral was termed “diagnostic loop closure.” In particular, the researchers wanted to compare...
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