Skip to main content

Main menu

  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
    • Current Issue
    • Ahead of Print
    • Archives
    • Abstracts In Press
    • Special Issue Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • INFO FOR
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Call For Papers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • SUBMIT
    • Manuscript
    • Peer Review
  • ABOUT
    • The JABFM
    • The Editing Fellowship
    • Editorial Board
    • Indexing
    • Editors' Blog
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • Other Publications
    • abfm

User menu

Search

  • Advanced search
American Board of Family Medicine
  • Other Publications
    • abfm
American Board of Family Medicine

American Board of Family Medicine

Advanced Search

  • HOME
  • ARTICLES
    • Current Issue
    • Ahead of Print
    • Archives
    • Abstracts In Press
    • Special Issue Archive
    • Subject Collections
  • INFO FOR
    • Authors
    • Reviewers
    • Call For Papers
    • Subscribers
    • Advertisers
  • SUBMIT
    • Manuscript
    • Peer Review
  • ABOUT
    • The JABFM
    • The Editing Fellowship
    • Editorial Board
    • Indexing
    • Editors' Blog
  • CLASSIFIEDS
  • JABFM on Bluesky
  • JABFM On Facebook
  • JABFM On Twitter
  • JABFM On YouTube
Brief ReportBrief Report

Using Virtual Visits to Care for Primary Care Patients With COVID-19 Symptoms

Derjung M. Tarn, Courtney Hintz, Eluar Mendez-Hernandez, Sabrina P. Sawlani and Michelle A. Bholat
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine February 2021, 34 (Supplement) S147-S151; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3122/jabfm.2021.S1.200241
Derjung M. Tarn
From the Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (DMT, EMH, MAB); Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (CH, SPS).
MD, PhD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Courtney Hintz
From the Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (DMT, EMH, MAB); Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (CH, SPS).
MD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Eluar Mendez-Hernandez
From the Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (DMT, EMH, MAB); Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (CH, SPS).
MD
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Sabrina P. Sawlani
From the Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (DMT, EMH, MAB); Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (CH, SPS).
DO
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Michelle A. Bholat
From the Department of Family Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (DMT, EMH, MAB); Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA (CH, SPS).
MD, MPH
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Article Figures & Data

Figures

  • Tables
  • Figure 1.
    • Download figure
    • Open in new tab
    Figure 1.

    Distribution of initial and follow-up visits. Abbreviations: ED, emergency department.

Tables

  • Figures
    • View popup
    Table 1.

    Patient Characteristics, Overall and by Visit Type

    CharacteristicAll Patients, n = 202Telehealth, n = 89Telephone, n = 55In Person, n = 52p-Value
    Female, n (%)120 (59.4)57 (64)39 (70.9)22 (42.3)0.006
    Age, mean (SD; range)36.8 (19.5; 1 to 89)40.3 (14.7; 4 to 73)40.7 (22; 1 to 89)26.4 (20; 1 to 72)<0.001
    Race/ethnicity, n (%)*0.3
     Asian19 (9.4)10 (11.2)5 (9.1)4 (7.7)
     Black15 (7.4)6 (6.7)5 (9.1)4 (7.7)
     Hispanic28 (13.9)15 (16.9)11 (20)2 (3.8)
     Other23 (11.4)8 (9)4 (7.3)9 (17.3)
     White93 (46)37 (41.6)23 (41.8)29 (55.8)
     Unknown24 (11.9)13 (14.6)7 (12.7)4 (7.7)
    Married, n (%)60 (29.7)32 (36)18 (32.7)8 (15.4)0.03
    Insurance, n (%)0.001
     PPO74 (36.6)35 (39.3)19 (34.5)18 (34.6)
     HMO66 (32.7)38 (42.7)16 (29.1)10 (19.2)
     Medicaid42 (20.8)10 (11.2)10 (18.2)20 (38.5)
     Medicare12 (5.9)2 (2.3)7 (12.7)3 (5.8)
     Other8 (4.0)4 (4.5)3 (5.5)1 (1.9)
    Preferred language-English, n (%)192 (95.1)86 (96.6)51 (92.7)49 (94.3)0.57
     Comorbidity score, mean (S.D.)*0.22 (0.6)0.19 (0.5)0.4 (0.89)0.08 (0.33)0.02
     Asthma, n (%)23 (11.4)14 (15.7)5 (9.1)4 (7.7)0.28
     Hypertension, n (%)25 (12.4)10 (11.2)11 (20)2 (3.9)0.03
     Anxiety disorder, n (%)57 (28.2)29 (32.6)16 (29.1)10 (19.2)0.23
     Body mass index, mean (SD)†26.6 (5.9)26.4 (5.5)27.4 (6.3)25.5 (6.8)0.40
     Current or previous smoking, n (%)20 (9.9)10 (11.2)10 (18.2)00.10
    # total interactions with office, mean (SD; range)5.34 (3.5; 2 to 20)6.07 (3.7; 2 to 20)5.16 (3.6; 2 to 18)4.52 (3.0; 2 to 17)0.03
     Telephone calls4.39 (2.6; 1 to 12)4.39 (2.5; 1 to 12)5.29 (2.6; 2 to 12)3.56 (2.46; 1 to 12)0.002
     E-mail messages1.70 (1.2; 1 to 8)1.97 (1.3; 1 to 6)1.58 (1.29; 1 to 8)1.40 (0.96; 1 to 7)0.02
     Telemedicine1.64 (0.80; 1 to 6)2.30 (0.70; 1 to 6)1.16 (0.46; 1 to 3)1.10 (0.30; 1 to 2)<0.001
     In person1.36 (0.64; 1 to 4)1.06 (0.23; 1 to 2)1.04 (0.19; 1 to 2)2.25 (0.62; 1 to 4)<0.001
    Outpatient testing, n (%)
     COVID-1940 (19.8)22 (24.7)13 (23.6)5 (9.6)0.16
     Influenza17 (8.4)6 (6.7)1 (1.8)10 (19.2)0.004
     Streptococcus2 (1.0)1 (1.1)01 (1.9)0.61
     Chest radiograph15 (7.4)5 (5.6)4 (7.3)6 (11.5)0.44
    Antibiotics prescribed, n (%)35 (17.3)11 (12.4)6 (10.9)18 (34.6)0.001
    Bronchodilator prescribed, n (%)32 (15.8)15 (16.9)7 (12.7)10 (19.2)0.65
    Patient-reported symptoms, n (%)
     Fever79 (39.1)33 (37.1)20 (36.4)25 (48.1)0.36
     Cough158 (78.2)75 (84.3)38 (69.1)41 (78.9)0.10
     Shortness of breath77 (38.1)43 (48.3)20 (36.4)11 (21.2)0.01
    • ↵* Charlson comorbidity index6; scores range from 0 to 13 with higher numbers indicating greater comorbidity.

    • † Among adults only; n = 162.

    • PPO, Preferred Provider Organization; HMO, Health Maintenance Organization; SD, standard deviation.

PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of the American Board of Family  Medicine: 34 (Supplement)
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
Vol. 34, Issue Supplement
February 2021
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Cover (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Board of Family Medicine.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Using Virtual Visits to Care for Primary Care Patients With COVID-19 Symptoms
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Board of Family Medicine
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Board of Family Medicine web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
9 + 5 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Using Virtual Visits to Care for Primary Care Patients With COVID-19 Symptoms
Derjung M. Tarn, Courtney Hintz, Eluar Mendez-Hernandez, Sabrina P. Sawlani, Michelle A. Bholat
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Feb 2021, 34 (Supplement) S147-S151; DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2021.S1.200241

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Using Virtual Visits to Care for Primary Care Patients With COVID-19 Symptoms
Derjung M. Tarn, Courtney Hintz, Eluar Mendez-Hernandez, Sabrina P. Sawlani, Michelle A. Bholat
The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine Feb 2021, 34 (Supplement) S147-S151; DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2021.S1.200241
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Background
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Acknowledgments
    • Notes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • PubMed
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • Points of Concordance, Points of Discordance: A Qualitative Examination of Telemedicine Implementation
  • Association of Telehealth with Short-Interval Follow-Up
  • Understanding how the design and implementation of Online Consultations influence primary care outcomes: Systematic review of evidence with recommendations for designers, providers, and researchers
  • Primary Care in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Essential, and Inspiring
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Factors Influencing Changing Scopes of Practice Among Contemporary Graduates of the Nation’s Largest Family Medicine Residency
  • Association of Social Needs with Diabetes Outcomes in an Older Population
  • Patient Perspectives on Delayed Specialty Follow-Up After a Primary Care Visit
Show more Brief Report

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • California, Cough
  • COVID-19
  • Dyspnea
  • Family Medicnie
  • Fever
  • Primary Health Care
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Telemedicine

Navigate

  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues

Authors & Reviewers

  • Info For Authors
  • Info For Reviewers
  • Submit A Manuscript/Review

Other Services

  • Get Email Alerts
  • Classifieds
  • Reprints and Permissions

Other Resources

  • Forms
  • Contact Us
  • ABFM News

© 2025 American Board of Family Medicine

Powered by HighWire