Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

acceptedVersion

Publication Date

12-2023

Abstract

Objectives: Telemedicine enables patients to communicate with physicians effectively, especially during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, few studies have explored the use of online health care platforms for a comprehensive range of specialties during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to investigate how telemedicine services were affected by the announcement of human-to-human transmission in China. Methods: Telemedicine data from haodf.com in China were collected. A difference-in-differences analysis compared the number of telemedicine use and the number of active online physicians for different specialties in 2020 with the numbers in 2019, before and after the announcement of human-to-human transmission. Results: Data from 2 473 734 telemedicine use during the same calendar time in 2020 and 2019 were collected. Telemedicine use in 2020 increased by 349.9% after the announcement of human-to-human transmission in China, and the number of active online physicians increased by 23.2%. The difference-in-differences analysis indicated that the announcement had statistically significant positive effects on the numbers of telemedicine use for almost all specialties, except cosmetic dermatology, pathology, occupational diseases, sports medicine, burn, medical imaging, and interventional medicine. Conclusion: Telemedicine services increased significantly after the announcement of human-to-human transmission of COVID-19. Online activities of most specialties increased, except where providers had to conduct in-person testing and provide bedside therapies.

Keywords

COVID-19, teleconsultation, telehealth, telemedicine

Discipline

Asian Studies | Health Information Technology | Operations and Supply Chain Management | Public Health

Research Areas

Operations Management

Publication

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness

Volume

17

Issue

5

First Page

1

Last Page

7

ISSN

1935-7893

Identifier

10.1017/dmp.2022.278

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2022.278

Share

COinS