Abstract
Background
Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a common reason for direct-to-consumer (DTC) telemedicine consultation. Antibiotic prescribing during video-only DTC telemedicine consults was explored for pediatric RTIs, focusing on correlates with visit duration and patient satisfaction.
Methods
Data on pediatric (age less than 19 years) RTI consults were obtained from a large DTC nationwide telemedicine platform and included patient, physician, and encounter characteristics. Mixed-effects regression was used to assess variation in antibiotic receipt by patient and physician factors, as well as the association between antibiotic receipt and visit length or patient satisfaction.
Results
Of 12,842 RTI visits with 560 physicians, 55% of patients received an antibiotic prescription. Antibiotic prescribing rates among telemedicine providers were high: sinusitis (92.1%), otitis media (96.0%), pharyngitis (76.7%), and bronchitis/bronchiolitis (62.0%). A provider was more likely to receive a 5-star satisfaction rating from the parent when the child was provided a prescription for an antibiotic (OR 3.38; 95% CI 2.84–4.02), an antiviral (OR 2.56; 95% CI 1.81–3.64) or a nonantibiotic (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.58–2.36). Visit length (mean 6.4 minute) was associated with higher satisfaction only when no antibiotic was prescribed (OR 1.03 per 6 seconds; 95% CI 1.01–1.06). Compared with nonpediatricians, pediatric providers were less likely to prescribe antibiotics (OR 0.44; 95% CI 0.29–0.68); however, patients of pediatricians were more likely to be highly satisfied (OR 1.50; 95% CI 1.11–2.03).
Conclusion
During DTC telemedicine video consultations for RTIs, pediatric patients were frequently prescribed antibiotics, which correlated with visit satisfaction. Although pediatricians prescribed antibiotics at a lower rate than other physicians, their satisfaction scores were higher. Especially problematic, adherence to guideline-concordant criteria for diagnosing acute otitis media and streptococcal pharyngitis, which, respectively, require otoscopy and throat culture, is not possible during a video-only telemedicine consult. High rates of antibiotic prescribing to children with RTIs suggest a need for antimicrobial stewardship efforts during video-only telemedicine consultation.
Disclosures
All Authors: No reported Disclosures.
Telemedicine Consultation to Assess Neonatal Encephalopathy in Rural Community Hospitals and Tertiary Care Centers
