Informing Use of Telehealth for Managing Chronic Conditions: Mixed‐Methods Evaluation of Telehealth Use to Manage Heart Failure During COVID‐19

Abstract

Background The COVID‐19 pandemic forced Veterans Health Administration facilities to rapidly adopt and deploy telehealth alternatives to provide continuity of care to veterans while minimizing physical contact. The impact of moving to virtual visits on patients with congestive heart failure (HF) is unknown. The goal of this study was to understand how patients with HF and their providers experienced the shift to telehealth for managing a chronic condition, and to inform best practices for continued telehealth use. Methods and Results We identified Veterans Health Administration Medical Centers with high telehealth use before COVID‐19 and sites that were forced to adopt telehealth in response to COVID‐19, and interviewed cardiology providers and veterans with HF about their experiences using telehealth. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using team‐based rapid content analysis. We identified 3 trajectory patterns for cardiology telehealth use before and during COVID‐19. They were the low‐use class (low to low), high‐use class (relatively high to higher), and increased‐use class (low to high). The high‐use and increased‐use classes fit the criteria for sites that had high telehealth use before COVID‐19 and sites that rapidly adopted telehealth in response to COVID‐19. There were 12 sites in the high‐use class and 4 sites in the increased‐use class. To match with the number of sites in the increased‐use class, we selected the top 4 sites by looking at the months before COVID‐19. We identified 3 themes related to telehealth use among patients with HF and cardiology providers: (1) technology was the primary barrier for both patients and providers; (2) infrastructural support was the primary facilitator for providers; and (3) both patients and providers had largely neutral opinions on how telehealth compares to in‐person care but described situations in which telehealth is not appropriate. Conclusions Only 12 sites fit the criteria of high telehealth use in cardiology before COVID‐19, and 4 fit the criteria of low use that increased in response to COVID‐19. Patients and providers at both site types were largely satisfied using telehealth to manage HF. Understanding best practices for managing ambulatory care–sensitive conditions through virtual visits can help the Veterans Health Administration prepare for long‐term impacts of COVID‐19 on in‐person visits, as well as improve access to care for veterans who live remotely or who have difficulty traveling to in‐person appointments.