Patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-method rapid review of the literature

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented remote consultations in primary care to protect patients and staff from infection. AIM: The aim of this review was to synthesise the literature exploring patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care during the pandemic, with the further aim of informing their future delivery. DESIGN & SETTING: Rapid literature review. METHOD: PubMed and PsychInfo were searched for studies that explored patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care. To determine the eligibility of studies, their titles and abstracts were reviewed, before the full article. Qualitative and quantitative data were then extracted from those that were eligible, and the data synthesised using thematic and descriptive synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 24 studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. Most were performed in the US (n = 6, 25%) or Europe (n = 7, 29%). Patient and physician experiences were categorised into perceived ‘advantages’ and ‘issues’. Key advantages experienced by patients and physicians included ‘reduced risk of COVID-19’ and ‘increased convenience’, while key issues included ‘a lack of confidence in or access to required technology’ and a ‘loss of non-verbal communication’ which degraded clinical decision-making. CONCLUSION: This review identified a number of advantages and issues experienced by patients and physicians using remote consultations in primary care. The results suggest that, while remote consultations are more convenient and protect patients and staff against COVID-19, they result in the loss of valuable non-verbal communication, and are not accessible to all.