Quantifying the Digital Divide: Associations of Broadband Internet with Tele-mental Health Access Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Background

During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine quickly expanded. Broadband speeds may impact equitable access to video-based mental health (MH) services.

Objective

To identify access disparities in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) MH services based on broadband speed availability.

Design

Instrumental variable difference-in-differences study using administrative data to identify MH visits prior to (October 1, 2015-February 28, 2020) and after COVID-19 pandemic onset (March 1, 2020-December 31, 2021) among 1176 VHA MH clinics. The exposure is broadband download and upload speeds categorized as inadequate (download  ≤25 Megabits per second - Mbps; upload  ≤3 Mbps), adequate (download  ≥25 Mbps and  <100 Mbps; upload  ≥5 Mbps and  <100 Mbps), or optimal (downlo

SUBMITTER: O'Shea AMJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10356688 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature