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The following is a summary of the study “Primary Care Team Characteristics Associated with Video Use: A Retrospective National Study at the Veterans Health Administration,” published in the September 2024 issue of Primary Care by Der-Martirosian et al.

Video-based consultations have become increasingly significant in primary care, especially in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) context. A study explored which characteristics of primary care (PC) team members were associated with the use of video for patient visits.

Researchers analyzed VA electronic data to identify characteristics linked to video use across three years (March 15, 2019, to March 15, 2022). The study utilized multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression models to account for patient demographics, healthcare system factors, and annual variations. The analysis covered five categories of PC team members: primary care providers (PCPs), including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants; nurses; mental health (MH) specialists; social workers (SWs); and clinical pharmacists (PharmDs).

The sample included 54,494 PC team members nationwide, involved in 61,728,154 PC visits with 4,916,960 patients. The cohort comprised 14,422 PCPs, 30,273 nurses, 2,721 MH specialists, 4,065 SWs, and 3,013 PharmDs. The mean age of participants was 46.1 years (SD = 11.3), with 77.1% being women.

Results showed variability in video use among PC team members, ranging from 24% to 84%. Older clinicians were more likely to use video compared to the youngest age group (18–29 years old), with those aged 50–59 showing an odds ratio (OR) of 1.12 (95% CI: 1.07–1.18). Female clinicians were also more likely to use video, with an OR of 1.18 (95% CI: 1.14–1.22). Among the different team categories, MH specialists (OR = 7.87, 95% CI: 7.32–8.46), PharmDs (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09–1.25), and SWs (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.41–1.61) were more likely to use video compared to PCPs. Conversely, nurses (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.62–0.67) were less likely to utilize video than PCPs.

Researchers concluded that video use is more prevalent among MH specialists, SWs, and PharmDs and less common among nurses than PCPs. Additionally, older and female clinicians were more inclined to use video for patient interactions. These findings offer valuable insights into the adoption of video-based care within interdisciplinary primary care teams, aiding in coordinating and optimizing video-based delivery in healthcare settings.

Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-024-02565-4