Publication:

An outline on the global insights of implementation and challenges in primary healthcare telemedicine

Background The utilization of telephone consultation (TC) has seen a significant increase of up to 86% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to bridge the existing knowledge gap by examining the usage and efficacy of telephone or virtual consultations in a clinical setting during the COVID-19 lockdown, the objective of the current review is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the advantages and limitations of TC in the light of physicians and familial perspectives to enlighten future healthcare planning and decision-making.

Methods The data utilized in this research spanning the period of COVID-19 and other studies related to TC that occurred before the onset of the pandemic were gathered from a variety of reputable sources, such as Pubmed, Pubmed Central, Google Scholar, Research Gate, and Science Direct with the pre-established eligibility criteria and relevant keywords.

Results Studies revealed that the incorporation of teleconsultation has demonstrated numerous benefits for patients, including effective handling of data, fair accessibility, and adherence to standardized care protocols. Nonetheless, the implementation of TC also presents obstacles such as insufficiently trained staff, technical hurdles like connectivity issues and unreliable internet connections, and the possibility of erroneous diagnoses.

Conclusions During the COVID-19 phase, TC has proven effective with fewer limitations that can be minimized by training the healthcare staff and overcoming technical issues.