Browsing by Author "ALSHAIKH, ABDULAZIZ"

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TELEMEDICINE IN POST-EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT FOLLOW-UP FOR UNCONTROLLED HYPERTENSION: PREVALENCE AND MODALITY CHOICE FACTORS
(Saudi Digital Library, 2025-04-14) ALSHAIKH, ABDULAZIZ; YOUNGRAN, KIM
Hypertension remains a leading public health concern, contributing to a significant burden of emergency department (ED) visits, particularly when blood pressure is poorly controlled. Patients who visit the ED for uncontrolled hypertension often require timely follow-up care to prevent recurrent ED visits, hospitalizations, and long-term complications. However, gaps in continuity of care post-ED discharge persist, with a substantial proportion of patients failing to receive appropriate outpatient follow-up. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of telemedicine, offering an alternative modality for post-ED follow-up care. Despite the increased availability of virtual care, the extent to which telemedicine is utilized for follow-up after an ED visit for uncontrolled hypertension remains unclear. Moreover, there is limited research comparing the timing of telemedicine versus in-person follow-up or identifying the factors associated with the selection of follow-up modality. This research aims to address these gaps by examining the prevalence of telemedicine versus in-person follow-up visits after an ED visit for uncontrolled hypertension, assessing the time interval between ED discharge and follow-up care by modality, and determining the demographic and clinical characteristics influencing follow-up modality selection. By leveraging U.S. commercial insurance claims data from 2021–2022, this study provides real world insights into the use of telemedicine in hypertension management, informing future strategies to enhance continuity of care, and reduce healthcare differences. v
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