Difference in general practice telehealth utilisation associated with birth country during COVID-19 from two Australian states

OBJECTIVE: Telehealth has been an integral part of ensuring continued general practice access during the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether telehealth was similarly adopted across different ethnic, cultural, and linguistic groups in Australia is unknown. In this study, we assessed how telehealth utilisation differed by birth country. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, electronic health record data from 799 general practices across Victoria and New South Wales, Australia between March 2020 to November 2021 were extracted (12,403,592 encounters from 1,307,192 patients). Multivariate generalised estimating equation models were used to assess the likelihood of a telehealth consultation (against face-to-face consultation) by birth country (relative to Australia or New Zealand born patients), education index, and native language (English versus others). RESULTS: Patients born in Southeastern Asia (aOR: 0.54; 95% CI: 0.52–0.55), Eastern Asia (aOR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.60–0.66), and India (aOR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.63–0.66) had a lower likelihood of having a telehealth consultation compared to those born in Australia or New Zealand. Northern America, British Isles, and most European countries did not present with a statistically significant difference. Additionally, higher education levels (aOR: 1.34; 95% CI: 1.26–1.42) was associated with an increase in the likelihood of a telehealth consultation, while being from a non-English-speaking country was associated with a reduced likelihood (aOR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.81–0.84). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides evidence showing differences in telehealth use associated with birth country. Strategies to ensure continued healthcare access for patients, whose native language is not English, such as providing interpreter services for telehealth consultations, would be beneficial. PERSPECTIVES: Understanding cultural and linguistic differences may reduce health disparities in telehealth access in Australia and could present an opportunity to promote healthcare access in diverse communities.