To determine if telehealth acceptance by parents of children with heart disease is predicted by sociodemographic and/or by parental digital literacy; and to assess parental perceptions of TH usability and reliability.
We conducted a single center study comparing TH acceptance versus visit cancellation/rescheduling for pediatric cardiology visits during the early phase of the COVID19 pandemic. All parent/guardians who consented to survey completion received a validated survey assessing their DL. Consenting parents who accepted TH received an additional validated survey assessing their perceptions of TH usability and reliability.
849 patients originally were scheduled for in-person visits between March 30 and May 8, 2020. TH acceptance was highest among younger, publically insured, Hispanic patients with primary diagnoses of arrhythmia/palpitations, chest pain, dysautonomia, dyslipidemia and acquired heart disease. Among parents who completed surveys, a determinant of TH acceptance was DL. TH was determined to be a usable and reliable means for health care delivery.
Although the potential for inequitable selection of TH due to sociodemographic factors exists, we found that such factors were not a major determinant for pediatric cardiology care within a large, diverse, free-standing pediatric hospital.

Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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