Rural area

Public health

Pathology

Business

Social distance

Social isolation

Disease

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Biology

Microbiology

Pandemic

Ophthalmology

Psychiatry

Nursing

Political science

Health care

Health equity

Globe

Isolation (microbiology)

Rural health

Telemedicine

Telehealth

Medicine

Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association

Telehealth programs have long held promise for addressing rural health disparities perpetuated by inadequate healthcare access. The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and accompanying social distancing measures have hastened the implementation of telehealth programs in hospital systems around the globe. Here, we provide specific examples of telehealth efforts that have been implemented in a large rural healthcare system in response to the pandemic, and further describe how the massive shift to telehealth and reliance on virtual connections in these times of social isolation may impact rural health disparities for those without access to necessary broadband to deploy digital technologies. Finally, we provide recommendations for researchers and policymakers to ensure that telehealth initiatives do not amplify existing health disparities experienced by those living in rural communities.

Telehealth in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: Implications for rural health disparities