Teleheath is an area I’ve written about extensively over the past few years, with the industry growing both in the number of users it has, but also in the capabilities providers can offer to users.

A recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill highlights how telehealth can significantly increase medical coverage for people in minority, rural, and typically underserved populations.

The researchers are specialists in diabetic retinopathy, and have been utilizing telehealth programs since 2009 via the North Carolina Diabetic Retinopathy Telemedicine Network.

Diabetic retinopathy

Surveillance for diabetic retinopathy is crucial because it’s the leading case of preventable blindness in the US, especially among working-age people.

The study saw patients recruited from rural and underserved areas across North Carolina, with staff from five clinical sites trained to obtain digital retinal photos that were then transferred to the research team for evaluation.

The paper highlights how retinal tele-screening significantly increased the evaluation rates in both rural and underserved areas, whilst also increasing access to care for minority and other high-risk groups.

The authors conducted a companion study that utilized Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map coverage across North Carolina to help inform them of the areas that could benefit most from telehealth provision.

This analysis highlighted some of the barriers to accessing healthcare, which the team hope will inform the future expansion of telehealth programs in a targeted and informed way.