May 22, 2025- The availability of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic improved access to endocrinology care for rural patients with type 2 diabetes and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to new research from the University of Pittsburgh and published in JAMA Network Open.
Researchers analyzed the use of telemedicine for endocrinology and cardiology patients in association with sociodemographic and geographic variables during two-year time periods before and after the pandemic began. The data represented more than 9,000 patients in a large health system in Pennsylvania, spanning both rural and urban areas.
In the pre-telemedicine era, prior to the pandemic, patients who lived further away from endocrinology clinics were less likely to receive care. That association weakened in the post-telemedicine era.