Please support Telehealth.org’s ability to deliver helpful news, opinions, and analyses by turning off your ad blocker. A recent report by SteadyMD, New Proprietary Data from SteadyMD Finds That Experienced Doctors & Therapists View Telehealth as a Better Way to Practice Medicine, throws light on the opinions and telehealth satisfaction of more than 1,700 clinicians, including doctors, nurses, and therapists. B2B telehealth infrastructure supplier across all 50 states, SteadyMD, conducted the study to understand better what motivated healthcare workers to take up positions in telehealth rather than traditional work.
The study found that, among the many factors driving practitioners to seek positions in telehealth, the most prominent were lifestyle flexibility, self-scheduling, and the workplace environment.
The report classified participant responses according to clinician categories and years in practice and found that doctors with 15 or more years of experience were most likely to pursue telehealth in the future. Experienced therapists followed close on their heels, with 86% of therapists viewing telehealth as a nightshift option from which they could earn extra income.
Key Findings Offer Insights Into The Future of Telehealth
The key findings of the report point to telehealth satisfaction amongst healthcare workers. Many of the participants view telehealth in the future as a viable alternative to traditional roles. Some saw telehealth as a way to earn additional income by working extra hours.
This is good news. The telehealth satisfaction expressed by the clinicians and their interest in working longer hours may help to overcome the shortage of healthcare workers in the country. The Association of American Medical Colleges AAMC estimates that there will be a shortage of between 37,800 and 124,000 physicians in the US by 2034, with deficiencies in specialty and primary healthcare. Healthcare scarcities impact rural and underserved regions more intensely than urban or suburban areas. The future of telehealth will serve these areas to a greater extent, and more remote healthcare providers will help mitigate the problem.
Key Insights From the Report
The SteadyMD report highlighted the following key insights
- Doctors who have previously practiced in traditional fields view telehealth practice as a preferred way to work
- Nursing practitioners would pursue careers in telehealth and consider different shift patterns to create a work schedule to suit their lifestyles
- Therapists would supplement the income from their day jobs with extra hours worked on weekdays.
The study found that
- 64% of participants were interested in working night shifts
- 85% would consider working on weekends
- 63% would like to work in telehealth in the future
- If full-time telehealth is unavailable, most would like to work in telehealth for 15 to 20 hours a week.
The Future of Telehealth
The looming shortage of healthcare workers in both primary and specialty sectors and the telehealth satisfaction enjoyed by most healthcare workers bodes well for the future of telehealth. Telehealth in the future will allow for the dissemination of healthcare into the rural and underserved areas of the country and may even help to redress healthcare disparities.
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Thanks so much Dr. Maheu! I certainly love working in Telehealth and spend much time learning and growing to be a better Practitioner every day. I love your words and this whole website. You are a wonderful resource and contributor helping people like myself around the world.