Challenges Facing Children with Special Healthcare Needs and Their Families: Telemedicine as a Bridge to Care

Telemedicine is an increasingly utilized mode of healthcare delivery, which improves access to care for vulnerable populations. Children with Special Healthcare Needs (CSHCN) and their families face significant challenges, such as geographic, financial, and sociocultural barriers, in accessing needed healthcare services. The literature supports telemedicine as an effective accepted bridge between CSHCN and their providers. A growing body of telemedicine projects also suggests cost-effe ctiveness when considering the direct and indirect costs the families of CSCHN incur in seeking healthcare services. These new systems of care should prioritize caring and family centeredness while reducing the burdens of CSHCN and their families.