In-person visits to your doctor better than telehealth, Harvard study finds
BOSTON - Going to see your doctor in the office may be more beneficial for your health than seeing them online.
Telehealth filled a crucial void during the pandemic and continues to be an option for patients in many situations, but a new study finds that in-person visits are superior when it comes to patient follow-up.
Researchers at Harvard looked at more than four-thousand diagnostic tests and referrals for specialty care such as colonoscopies, cardiac stress tests, and dermatology appointments and found that while the completion rate was low regardless of visit type, 58-percent of those ordered while a patient was in a provider's office were completed compared to only 43-percent if they were ordered during a telehealth visit.
Clearly, primary care offices need to address problems with closing the diagnostic loop, in general, but especially for patients who are seen virtually.