Translating Telehealth Communication Research Into Patient-Centered, Implementable Practice

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Communication
• Primary Care Medicine
• Digital Health

Background:

• Virtual primary care consultations present unique communication challenges for patients and clinicians.
• Understanding these challenges is crucial for ensuring safe and effective healthcare delivery.
• Prior research by Alboksmaty and colleagues has shed light on these communication dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and build upon the findings of Alboksmaty et al. regarding communication in virtual primary care.
• To connect the study's recommendations with patient-centered communication frameworks and virtual communication strategies.
• To extend mitigation strategies using the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) framework for organizational change.

Main Methods:

• Commentary and synthesis of existing research.
• Application of patient-centered communication frameworks.
• Integration with the ERIC implementation framework.

Main Results:

• The commentary highlights contributions and limitations of the original research.
• It provides practical applications of findings to patient-centered communication and virtual strategies.
• It demonstrates how to apply mitigation strategies using the ERIC framework for organizational change.

Conclusions:

• Further research is needed to differentiate communication strategies for phone-based versus video-based primary care consultations.
• Implementing evidence-based virtual communication strategies can enhance patient-centered care.
• Organizational frameworks like ERIC can facilitate the adoption of improved virtual care practices.