Telehealth and Home-Centered Approaches for Children

Dear Colleagues,

Telehealth and home-centered approaches are transforming pediatric healthcare by enhancing the access to and quality of care, particularly in underserved regions. The evolution of telehealth has gained significant momentum, especially highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic which emphasized the need for remote healthcare solutions. Historically, telehealth and home-centered approaches aimed to bridge the gap in healthcare disparities and improve outcomes for children and adolescents worldwide.

Telehealth and home-centered approaches have a profound history of increasing healthcare accessibility for pediatric populations. The concept of telehealth dates back to the early 20th century, but it has seen remarkable growth and sophistication in recent decades due to advancements in technology and telecommunications. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated its adoption, demonstrating its critical role in maintaining continuity of care when traditional in-person visits were not feasible. Telehealth and home-centered approaches encompass a range of services, including remote consultations, telemonitoring and digital therapeutics, and have proven to be an effective tool in managing chronic conditions, providing mental health support and delivering urgent care.

The integration of telehealth and home-centered approaches in pediatric care has shown promising results in improving access to specialists, reducing travel time and costs for families, and ensuring timely medical interventions. Telehealth has also played a crucial role in addressing the mental health needs of children and adolescents, offering a convenient and less stigmatizing option for accessing psychological support. Given the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and mental health issues among youth, the role of telehealth and home-centered approaches in pediatric healthcare is more significant than ever.

Aim and Scope of the Special Issue: This Special Issue aims to explore the multifaceted applications of telehealth and home-centered approaches in pediatric care, from technological advancements to policy implications and clinical outcomes. We seek to gather comprehensive research that assesses the effectiveness, challenges and potential of telehealth and home-centered approaches for children and adolescents.

Cutting-Edge Research: We invite contributions presenting innovative research, case studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We are particularly interested in studies that highlight technological innovations, clinical effectiveness, patient and family satisfaction, and the broader impacts of telehealth and home-centered approaches on healthcare delivery systems.

What Kind of Papers We Are Soliciting: For this Special Issue, we are seeking articles that address various aspects of pediatric telehealth and home-centered approaches, including, but not limited to, the following:

• Technological innovations in telehealth for children and adolescents;
• Impact of telehealth and home-centered approaches on healthcare accessibility and equity;
• Clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction in pediatric telehealth;
• Policy and regulatory challenges in the implementation of telehealth;
• Telehealth applications in mental health services for children and adolescents.

Dr. Isabel Rodríguez-Costa
Dr. Vanesa Abuin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Pediatric telehealth
• Home-centered approach
• Healthcare accessibility
• Telemedicine innovations