Community Perceptions of Integrating Community Health Workers and Telehealth Services for Chronic Disease Management in a Rural Island Community: A Qualitative Study

Authors: Jose G Perez-Ramos, Scott McIntosh, Joselyn Wei Chen, Jessica Alicea-Vellon, Carlos E Rodriguez-Diaz

This study explored how people in a remote island community in Puerto Rico feel about using telehealth together with community health workers to manage chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. People trusted community health workers and valued their support, while telehealth was seen as helpful in reducing travel and improving access to care. However, there were concerns about technology access and privacy. Overall, combining telehealth with community health workers was viewed as a promising way to improve care in isolated areas.