ReviewJMIR medical informatics2019
Electronic Consultation in Primary Care Between Providers and Patients: Systematic Review.
Review in JMIR medical informatics, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 104 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
104 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 204 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Impact of Digitalization on European General Practice From the Perspective of General Practitioners: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Access or continuity: a zero sum game? A systematic review of the literature examining the relationship between access and continuity in primary healthcare.BMC primary care · 2025Pooled it
- Patient-facing online triage tools and clinician decision-making: a systematic review.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- A theory-based analysis of the implementation of online asynchronous telemedicine platforms into primary care practices using Normalisation Process Theory.BMC primary care · 2025Pooled it
- Translating Value Across Telehealth Stakeholders: A Rapid Review of Telehealth Measurement Evidence and a New Policy Framework to Guide Telehealth Researchers.Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association · 2024Pooled it
- The Impact of Virtual Consultations on the Quality of Primary Care: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Pooled it
- Specialized healthcare practitioners' challenges in performing video consultations to patients in Nordic Countries - a systematic review and narrative synthesis.BMC health services research · 2022Pooled it
- Understanding How the Design and Implementation of Online Consultations Affect Primary Care Quality: Systematic Review of Evidence With Recommendations for Designers, Providers, and Researchers.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Delivery of supported self-management in remote asthma reviews: A systematic rapid realist review.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Pooled it
- Impact of Asynchronous Electronic Communication-Based Visits on Clinical Outcomes and Health Care Delivery: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Spread, Scale-up, and Sustainability of Video Consulting in Health Care: Systematic Review and Synthesis Guided by the NASSS Framework.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Pooled it
- Impact of Remote Consultations on Antibiotic Prescribing in Primary Health Care: Systematic Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2020Pooled it
- Moderators and Mediators of Pain and Function Outcomes in a New Service Delivery Model for Management of Knee Osteoarthritis in Primary Care: Secondary Exploratory Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.Arthritis care & research · 2025Trial
- Digital clinic users in Finnish public primary care: their characteristics, reasons for visits, and equity considerations - a register study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2026Observational
- Recommendations for developing asynchronous online consultations for chlamydia treatment for underserved populations: a Behaviour Change Wheel analysis.Sexually transmitted infections · 2026Article
- A Dynamic Graph-Based Multiobjective Optimization Method for Physician Recommendation: Development and Evaluation Study.JMIR medical informatics · 2026Article
- Demographic differences in annual wellness visit completion after expanded medicare telehealth coverage.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Quality of Informed Consent and Interface Usability in Primary Care e-Consultation: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR human factors · 2026Article
- The use of online consultation tools for common mental health conditions in UK primary care: a qualitative interview study of patient and practitioner perspectives.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Construction of an index system for workplace services by family doctors in China: a two-round Delphi study.BMC primary care · 2026Article
44 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGovernments and health care providers are keen to find innovative ways to deliver care more efficiently. Interest in electronic consultation (e-consultation) has grown, but the evidence of benefit is uncertain.
objectiveThis study aimed to assess the evidence of delivering e-consultation using secure email and messaging or video links in primary care.
methodsA systematic review was conducted on the use and application of e-consultations in primary care. We searched 7 international databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, EconLit, and Web of Science; 1999-2017), identifying 52 relevant studies. Papers were screened against a detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria. Independent dual data extraction was conducted and assessed for quality. The resulting evidence was synthesized using thematic analysis.
resultsThis review included 57 studies from a range of countries, mainly the United States (n=30) and the United Kingdom (n=13). There were disparities in uptake and utilization toward more use by younger, employed adults. Patient responses to e-consultation were mixed. Patients reported satisfaction with services and improved self-care, communication, and engagement with clinicians. Evidence for the acceptability and ease of use was strong, especially for those with long-term conditions and patients located in remote regions. However, patients were concerned about the privacy and security of their data. For primary health care staff, e-consultation delivers challenges around time management, having the correct technological infrastructure, whether it offers a comparable standard of clinical quality, and whether it improves health outcomes.
conclusionsE-consultations may improve aspects of care delivery, but the small scale of many of the studies and low adoption rates leave unanswered questions about usage, quality, cost, and sustainability. We need to improve e-consultation implementation, demonstrate how e-consultations will not increase disparities in access, provide better reassurance to patients about privacy, and incorporate e-consultation as part of a manageable clinical workflow.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.