OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of telemedicine interventions on health service utilization among low-income patients, considering potential socioeconomic disparities.

METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted using Medline, PubMed and Web of Science databases from inception to June 2024. Search terms focused on socioeconomic factors and telehealth usage. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were screened to identify relevant studies. Data extraction included study characteristics, intervention details, and outcome measurements. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used for quality assessment. Statistical analyses included odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CI), with heterogeneity assessed using χ² and I² tests. Publication bias was evaluated with funnel plots and statistical tests.

RESULTS: The initial search yielded 5,043 articles, with 31 articles reviewed in full and 5 studies included in the quantitative synthesis, and 16 in the qualitative synthesis. The meta-analysis indicated that low-SES individuals who participated in telehealth interventions were more likely to forgo telehealth in favor of in-person visits (OR 2.67, 95% CI 0.49–14.40). Significant heterogeneity was observed among studies. Sensitivity analysis highlighted the influence of individual studies on overall results, with certain studies contributing more to the effect size due to larger sample sizes.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study demonstrate the potential inequality in accessing necessary telemedicine care among patients. The conclusions are influenced by factors such as sample size differences, diverse measures of SES, literature search limitations, and data availability issues. Future research should standardize SES measurements, expand literature searches to include more languages, and address barriers to telemedicine access, such as technology and digital literacy. By tackling these challenges and tailoring interventions to underserved populations, telemedicine could potentially improve healthcare access and reduce disparities among low-income patients.