TY - JOUR
T1 - Development of telehealth principles and guidelines for older adults
T2 - A modified Delphi approach
AU - The Collaborative for Telehealth and Aging
AU - Wardlow, Liane
AU - Leff, Bruce
AU - Biese, Kevin
AU - Roberts, Carly
AU - Archbald-Pannone, Laurie
AU - Ritchie, Christine
AU - DeCherrie, Linda V.
AU - Sikka, Neal
AU - Gillespie, Suzanne M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The American Geriatrics Society.
PY - 2023/2
Y1 - 2023/2
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic elevated telehealth as a prevalent care delivery modality for older adults. However, guidelines and best practices for the provision of healthcare via telehealth are lacking. Principles and guidelines are needed to ensure that telehealth is safe, effective, and equitable for older adults. The Collaborative for Telehealth and Aging (C4TA) composed of providers, experts in geriatrics, telehealth, and advocacy, developed principles and guidelines for delivering telehealth to older adults. Using a modified Delphi process, C4TA members identified three principles and 18 guidelines. First, care should be person-centered; telehealth programs should be designed to meet the needs and preferences of older adults by considering their goals, family and caregivers, linguistic characteristics, and readiness and ability to use technology. Second, care should be equitable and accessible; telehealth programs should address individual and systemic barriers to care for older adults by considering issues of equity and access. Third, care should be integrated and coordinated across systems and people; telehealth should limit fragmentation, improve data sharing, increase communication across stakeholders, and address both workforce and financial sustainability. C4TA members have diverse perspectives and expertise but a shared commitment to improving older adults' lives. C4TA's recommendations highlight older adults' needs and create a roadmap for providers and health systems to take actionable steps to reach them. The next steps include developing implementation strategies, documenting current telehealth practices with older adults, and creating a community to support the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of the recommendations.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic elevated telehealth as a prevalent care delivery modality for older adults. However, guidelines and best practices for the provision of healthcare via telehealth are lacking. Principles and guidelines are needed to ensure that telehealth is safe, effective, and equitable for older adults. The Collaborative for Telehealth and Aging (C4TA) composed of providers, experts in geriatrics, telehealth, and advocacy, developed principles and guidelines for delivering telehealth to older adults. Using a modified Delphi process, C4TA members identified three principles and 18 guidelines. First, care should be person-centered; telehealth programs should be designed to meet the needs and preferences of older adults by considering their goals, family and caregivers, linguistic characteristics, and readiness and ability to use technology. Second, care should be equitable and accessible; telehealth programs should address individual and systemic barriers to care for older adults by considering issues of equity and access. Third, care should be integrated and coordinated across systems and people; telehealth should limit fragmentation, improve data sharing, increase communication across stakeholders, and address both workforce and financial sustainability. C4TA members have diverse perspectives and expertise but a shared commitment to improving older adults' lives. C4TA's recommendations highlight older adults' needs and create a roadmap for providers and health systems to take actionable steps to reach them. The next steps include developing implementation strategies, documenting current telehealth practices with older adults, and creating a community to support the dissemination, implementation, and evaluation of the recommendations.
KW - equity
KW - health care delivery
KW - inclusion
KW - technology
KW - telehealth
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85144116083&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1111/jgs.18123
DO - 10.1111/jgs.18123
M3 - Article
C2 - 36534900
AN - SCOPUS:85144116083
SN - 0002-8614
VL - 71
SP - 371
EP - 382
JO - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
JF - Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
IS - 2
ER -