Web-Based Tools for Text-Based Patient-Provider Communication in Chronic Conditions: Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Chronic conditions necessitate ongoing patient self-management and continuous healthcare provider support beyond appointments.
• Web-based tools, including secure messaging, facilitate text-based patient-provider communication, enabling information sharing and empowering patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically identify and characterize web-based tools for patient-provider text-based communication.
• To map their features, intended uses, contexts, user demographics, and evaluation methods.
• To analyze the terminology used to describe these communication tools.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review of MEDLINE and EMBASE databases was conducted.
• Information on tool characteristics, use, evaluation, and terminology was summarized.
• A parallel internet search was performed to identify additional tools and compare findings.

Main Results:

• 47 unique web-based tools from 13 countries were identified, supporting 68 chronic conditions.
• Most tools (77%) offered functionalities beyond communication, such as symptom tracking.
• Few tools (17%) facilitated communication with multiple healthcare providers; patient portals were prevalent online but absent in published literature.

Conclusions:

• Web-based text-based communication tools are diverse in functionality and context, particularly for self-management.
• The scarcity of tools supporting team-based communication suggests a need for development in interdisciplinary chronic disease care.
• Terminology for these tools is inconsistent and does not always reflect their communication function.