Table 3. Quantification of advantages and issues.
| Advantages and issues | Articles (telephoneconsultations), n | Articles (videoconsultations), n | Articles (both video andtelephone consultations), n | Total articles, n |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advantages | ||||
| Advantages (PCPs) | ||||
| Reimbursement for previously ‘free’ services | 1 | – | 4 | 5 15,17,18,25,27 |
| Remote consultations enable better monitoring of cases | 3 | – | 1 | 4 13,20,22,31 |
| Increased appointment adherence | 1 | – | 1 | 2 13,24 |
| Increased involvement by family members and insights into patient’s home environment | – | – | 1 | 1 13 |
| Patients feel empowered to discuss more personal issues via remote consultation | 1 | – | – | 1 13 |
| Advantages (patients and PCPs) | ||||
| Convenience | 9 | 2 | – | 11 13,16,18,21–25,31,33–35–35 |
| Reduced risk of COVID-19 | 3 | – | – | 3 19,32,35 |
| Issues | ||||
| Issues (PCPs) | ||||
| Difficulty in making clinical decisions | 3 | 1 | 4 19,20,29,31 | |
| Lack of motivation or support | – | – | 3 | 3 18,22,25 |
| Changes to consultation type | 2 | – | – | 2 19,28 |
| Issues (patients) | ||||
| Concerns about privacy | 3 | – | 1 | 4 16,30,33,34 |
| Monetary concerns | 3 | – | – | 3 16,34,35 |
| Physician missing appointments | 1 | – | – | 1 21 |
| Issues (patients and PCPs) | ||||
| Lack of confidence in, and access to, the technical skills or technology required for remote consultations | 8 | 1 | 6 | 15 13,15–22,24,25,31–36,31–36 |
| Loss of non-verbal communication and patient–physician rapport | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 13,19,21,22,25,31,33–35 |
| Loss of physical and visual assessment of symptoms | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 13,19,21,22,25,29,33,34 |
| Face-to-face required for complex issues | 6 | 3 | – | 9 13,16–21,22,29,32,33,33 |
| Communication barrier owing to language or hearing difficulties | 4 | – | 1 | 5 13,17,25,32,34 |
| Insufficient consultation time | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 13,16,33 |
| Advantages/issues | ||||
| Advantages/issues (PCPs) | ||||
| Attitudes towards future use of remote consultation | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 13,18,22,25,29,31 |
| Workload increased or decreased | 5 | 1 | – | 6 13,19,20,22,32,33 |
| Advantages/issues (patients) | ||||
| Changes in difficulty booking appointments and waiting times | 3 | – | – | 3 25,34,35 |
| Advantages/issues (patients and PCPs) | ||||
| Satisfaction level with remote consultation | 5 | 2 | 1 | 8 14,16,18,21,29–33,33 |
| Consultation preferences | – | 3 | 2 | 5 16,18,25,29,33 |
PCP = primary care physician.