School-based telehealth programs support health improvement or are equivalent to standard care for a variety of conditions.

Background

Offering health services in schools is a key strategy for supporting access to care for children. School-based telehealth has the potential to reduce implementation barriers for school-based health services and increase access for underserved populations, including those in geographies with fewer health care providers. This review identified 20 studies on school-based telehealth published between 2006-2018 and summarized findings related to intervention delivery (e.g., reach, implementation process) and program outcomes.  

Findings

The six studies that included health outcomes found evidence of health improvement or equivalence to usual care for children with asthma, diabetes, and speech impairments. For example, studies found significant improvements in two domains on the Children’s Health Survey for Asthma Scale and increases in symptom-free days for children with asthma, and reductions in A1C for children with diabetes for children receiving care through telehealth programs. For children with speech impairment, studies found that outcomes such as functional communication measures or progress on educational objectives, for those in telehealth programs improved or were similar to that of usual care. While results across studies were mixed, some studies found evidence that school-based telehealth is associated with reduced emergency department utilization.

Program/Policy Takeaways

This review shows that school-based telehealth can support positive health outcomes and show promise for reducing emergency department utilization. Further research is needed on factors influencing telehealth program implementation. Policymakers may consider opportunities to support financing and implementation of school-based telehealth programs to enhance access to care for children.