Table 2.
Home-Based Primary Care Practices and Response to COVID-19
| Variable | Total, n (Column %) | More than 500 Patients, n (Column %) | Less than 500 Patients, n (Column %) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity for COVID-19 testing | 78 | .19 | ||
| Yes | 50 (64.10) | 24 (72.73) | 26 (57.78) | |
| No | 25 (32.05) | 8 (24.24) | 17 (37.78) | |
| Unsure | 3 (3.85) | 1 (3.03) | 2 (4.44) | |
| Percentage of COVID-19–positive patients in practice | 78 | .35 | ||
| Yes | 59 (75.64) | 24 (72.73) | 35 (81.40) | |
| Unsure | 17 (21.79) | 9 (27.27) | 8 (18.60) | |
| No Response | 2 (2.56) | |||
| Accepting new COVID-19 patients | 78 | .01 | ||
| Yes | 57 (73.1) | 30 (90.01) | 27 (60.00) | |
| No | 21 (26.9) | 3 (9.09) | 18 (40.00) | |
| Continuing home visits | 78 | .96 | ||
| Yes | 66 (84.61) | 28 (84.85) | 38 (84.44) | |
| No | 12 (15.34) | 5 (15.15) | 7 (15.56) | |
| Seeing COVID-19 patients in the home | 66 | .66 | ||
| Yes | 38 (57.57) | 17 (60.71) | 21 (55.26) | |
| No | 28 (42.42) | 11 (39.29) | 17 (44.74) | |
| Use of video or telephone care instead of in-person visits in the context of COVID-19 | 75 | .62 | ||
| Began use of video visits or remote patient monitoring | 59 (78.66) | 25 (45.45) | 34 (51.52) | |
| Expanded existing video visits capability | 18 (24.00) | 10 (18.18) | 8 (12.12) | |
| Substituted telephone visits for in-person visits | 44 (58.66) | 20 (36.36) | 24 (36.36) | |
| Strain/impact on practice | 60 | .46 | ||
| Some to severe strain, impact | 54 (90.00) | 20 (90.91) | 32(84.21) | |
| No to minimal strain, impact | 8 (13.33) | 2 (9.09) | 6 (15.79) | |
| Service and resource shortages | 46 | .90 | ||
| Meals on wheels | 11 (23.91) | 3 (9.38) | 8 (13.11) | |
| Home nursing | 19 (41.30) | 6 (18.75) | 13 (21.31) | |
| Home health aides | 34 (73.91.3) | 12 (37.50) | 22 (36.07) | |
| Access to opioid/nonopioid medications | 8 (17.39) | 2 (6.25) | 6 (9.84) | |
| Durable medical equipment | 13 (28.26) | 5 (15.63) | 8 (13.11) | |
| Hospice | 8 (17.39) | 4 (12.50) | 4 (6.56) | |
| Navigating loss of personnel | 65 | .82 | ||
| Reassigning staff | 33 (50.07) | 16 (45.71) | 17 (38.64) | |
| Recruiting new staff | 12 (18.46) | 5 (14.29) | 7 (15.91) | |
| Other (please explain) | 34 (52.30) | 14 (40.00) | 20 (45.45) | |
| Top COVID-19–related practice challenges | .51 | |||
| Supply shortages | 40 (11.05) | 17 (10.83) | 23 (11.22) | |
| Testing for COVID-19 status | 39 (10.77) | 17 (10.83) | 22 (10.73) | |
| Clinician strain | 36 (9.94) | 21 (13.38) | 15 (7.32) | |
| Clinician anxiety | 49 (13.54) | 24 (15.29) | 25 (12.20) | |
| Patient anxiety | 56 (15.47) | 25 (15.92) | 31 (15.12) | |
| Preparedness for use of telemedicine | 37 (10.22) | 13 (8.28) | 24 (11.71) | |
| Patient lack of familiarity with telemedicine | 58 (16.02) | 23 (14.65) | 35 (17.07) | |
| Technical difficulties reaching patients | 47 (12.98) | 17 (10.83) | 30 (14.63) | |
| Common strategies used to navigate COVID-19 challenges | .98 | |||
| Reducing in-person visits | 58 (28.86) | 23 (27.38) | 35 (29.91) | |
| Staff training | 38 (18.91) | 16 (19.05) | 22 (18.80) | |
| Using telemedicine | 68 (33.83) | 29 (34.52) | 39 (33.33) | |
| Providing resources for patients | 37 (18.41) | 16 (19.05) | 21 (17.95) |