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Title:  Students' Use of School-Based Telemedicine Services and Rates of Returning to Class After These Services in a Small Elementary School District
Description: In 2018, a small elementary school district in California introduced school-based telemedicine services for K–6 students to address the health, well-being, and attendance challenges that can interfere with school success. During the first two years of implementation, about a quarter of the students used telemedicine services at least once, and nearly one in ten used telemedicine services multiple times. Descriptive results indicated that students in the lower and upper elementary grades did not differ in their use of telemedicine, though there were some differences in telemedicine use and reasons for seeking services by student race/ethnicity. This suggests that the needs, awareness, level of comfort, or rate of parent/guardian consent for receiving these services may vary across student groups. Results also indicated that telemedicine can treat students during the school day, enabling them to attend classes for the remainder of instruction the day of the visit. For these students, this resulted in an average of 3 hours of instruction instead of being sent home with an unmet health need. Telemedicine may hold promise to help students stay healthy and in school, whether they are learning from home during the pandemic or when schools buildings are open.
Online Availability:
Cover Date: February 2021
Web Release: February 18, 2021
Publication #: REL 2021078
Center/Program: REL
Associated Centers: NCEE
Authors:
Type of Product: Descriptive Study
Keywords:
Questions: For questions about the content of this Descriptive Study, please contact:
Amy Johnson.