Affiliations: [a] Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), Charleston, SC, USA | [b] Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont, Dublin, Ireland
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Carrie L. Cormack, CON, MUSC, 99 Jonathan Lucas Street, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. Tel.: +1 843 452 9424; E-mail:cormackc@musc.edu
Abstract: PURPOSE: This quality improvement project aimed to improve parental
experiences with healthcare delivery and collaborative health care offered
at a school serving children with medical complexity (CMC) by implementing
telehealth services. METHODS: Parents of students at an urban public charter school for CMC were
surveyed before and after telehealth was implemented at the school for two
months, and again one year later, using the Measure of Processes of Care
(MPOC-20). RESULTS: Parental scores on the MPOC-20 were generally high both before and
after the implementation of telehealth. There were no significant
differences in the scores. Anecdotally, parent satisfaction with telehealth
services was high. A review of the utilization of school-based telehealth
during the 2015-2016 school year among 13 schools, including this unique
school for CMC, revealed that the odds of having a telehealth visit at the
school for CMC vs the other 12 schools was 23.8 (p value < 0.001; CL:11.2 to
50.6). CONCLUSION: Parental experiences with healthcare delivery were high both
before and after the implementation of telehealth at an urban public charter
school for CMC. Utilization of telehealth at the school for CMC was
significantly higher than that of children enrolled in the program at 12
other schools. Further research is needed to evaluate parental experiences
with school-based telehealth services.
Keywords: Telehealth, school health services, disabled children
