April 5, 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacted access to reproductive health care, changing how care is delivered and making structural inequities worse. Telehealth use drastically increased. While telehealth offers convenience for patients and providers, there are also concerns that it may lead to lower quality care. Before and during the pandemic, there were well-documented disparities in telehealth access.

New research surveying cisgender women seeking contraceptive care is the first known study to look at regional trends or differences in the quality of telehealth on a national scale.

Among people seeking contraceptive care during the COVID pandemic, this study found significant inequities in access. People in the South and Midwest used telehealth less than in other regions. Latinx women and those who spoke Spanish experience lower quality of telehealth care.

Increasing use of telehealth could considerably reduce barriers to care in the South, Midwest, and rural areas, as people in those regions often have to travel long distances for in-person care. Making telehealth more accessible would also offer some patients care that’s better aligned with their preferences.

If it’s implemented equitably, telehealth could improve access to care and possibly improve disparate outcomes stemming from systemic racism, implicit bias, and discrimination within the healthcare system. Yet if it’s implemented inequitably, it risks replicating existing disparities or making them even worse.

Given the increasing use of telehealth in routine care, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and legislative restrictions on access to reproductive health care around the country, it’s essential that we better understand how and where telehealth is being used for contraceptive care and how we can make sure it’s done equitably moving forward.