ONC Live: Analysis Reveals Racial Disparities in Telemedicine Use During COVID-19 Pandemic Among Patients with Hematologic Malignancies

Data from a retrospective observational study revealed that White patients with hematologic malignancies in the United States had significantly higher uptake of telemedicine compared to Black patients, reflecting disparities that require further exploration. From March 2020 to February 2021, disparate uptake of telemedicine among Black patients compared to White patients was observed, which proved to be true across all diseases and treatments combined, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML) inpatient treatments, multiple myeloma oral treatment, and in multiple myeloma inpatient treatments. Researchers highlighted that the patterns in documented visits reflect potential telemedicine use disparities.