%0 Journal Article
%@ 1438-8871
%I JMIR Publications
%V 25
%N 
%P e43707
%T Identification and Management of Thyroid Dysfunction Using At-Home Sample Collection and Telehealth Services: Retrospective Analysis of Real-World Data
%A Gavin,Kathleen M
%A Kreitzberg,Daniel
%A Gaudreau,Yvette
%A Cruz,Marisa
%A Bauer,Timothy A
%+ Everly Health, Inc, 823 Congress Ave, Suite 1200, Austin, TX, 78701, United States, 1 303 503 5713, medaffairs@everlyhealth.com
%K telemedicine
%K consumer-initiated testing
%K dried blood spot
%K adult
%K human
%K access to care
%K monitoring
%K telehealth
%K home-based
%K at home
%K laboratory test
%K blood test
%K thyroid
%K screening
%D 2023
%7 30.5.2023
%9 Original Paper
%J J Med Internet Res
%G English
%X Background: Programs aimed at modernizing thyroid care by pairing at-home sample collection methods with telehealth options may serve an important and emerging role in thyroid care. Objective: The primary objective of this analysis was to evaluate telehealth use, demographics, and clinical characteristics of a cohort of consumer-initiated at-home laboratory thyroid test users who were also offered the option of follow-up telehealth consultations. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of real-world data from a deidentified consumer database of home-collected, mail-in thyroid tests used from March to May 2021 (N=8152). The mean age was 38.6 (range 18-85) years, and 86.6% (n=7061) of individuals identified as female. Results: In total, 7% (n=587) of test takers fell into a thyroid dysfunction category (overt hypothyroidism: n=75, 0.9%; subclinical hypothyroidism: n=236, 2.9%; overt hyperthyroidism: n=5, 0.1%; and subclinical hyperthyroidism: n=271, 3.3%). Overall, 12% (n=984) of the overall sample opted into a telehealth consultation, with 91.8% (n=903) receiving a nontreatment telehealth consultation and 8.2% (n=81) receiving a treatment telemedicine consultation. Furthermore, 16% (n=96) of individuals with overt or subclinical thyroid dysfunction engaged in telehealth consultations. The majority of treatment consultations (59.3%, n=48) were conducted with people reporting a history of thyroid issues, with 55.6% (n=45) of people indicating wanting to discuss their current thyroid medication and 48% (n=39) receiving a prescription medication. Conclusions: The combination of at-home sample collection and telehealth is an innovative model for screening thyroid disorders, monitoring thyroid function, and increasing access to care, which can be implemented at a large scale and across a wide range of age groups. 
%M 37252757
%R 10.2196/43707
%U https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e43707
%U https://doi.org/10.2196/43707
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37252757