Patients' and clinicians' experiences of remote consultation? A narrative synthesis

To identify, evaluate and summarize evidence of patient and clinician experiences of being involved in video or telephone consultations as a replacement for in-person consultations.

Narrative synthesis.

Medline; EMBASE; EMCARE; CINAHL and BNI. Searching took place from January 2021 to April 2021. Papers included were published between 2013 and 2020.

Papers were appraised by two independent reviewers for methodological quality. Data extraction was conducted according to the standardized tool from Joanna Briggs Institute.

Seven qualitative studies were included, from five countries and from the perspective of patients, relatives, administrators, nurses, physiotherapists and physicians. We developed two main themes: Pragmatic Concerns and Therapeutic Concerns. Each theme contained two categories: Pragmatic Concerns: (a) the convenience of non-face to face consultations; (b) using technology and equipment in a consultation; Therapeutic Concerns (c) building therapeutic relationships; and (d) embracing benefits and addressing challenges.

This narrative synthesis presents the existing evidence on clinician and patient experience of participating in non-face to face consultations. Experiences are varied but largely focus on communication and forming relationships, using the technology successfully and the ability for patients to self-manage with support from clinicians who are not in-person. More high-quality studies are required to explore the experiences of patients and clinicians accessing remote consultations as a result of global implementation post-SARS-CoV-2 pandemic to identify any learning and education opportunities.

Health care staff can provide high-quality care through video or telephone appointments as well as face to face appointments. This review has, however, identified that the evidence is limited and weak in this area and recommends there is research further to inform practice and influence future care.