SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2023
The impact of remote care approaches on continuity in primary care: a mixed-studies systematic review.
Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of the clinically oriented roles of a general practice receptionist: a systematic review with narrative synthesis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Pooled it
- AI in Psychiatry for Improving Continuity of Patient Care: Protocol for a Mixed Methods Systematic Review.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Ambient scribes in general practice - help or hindrance?The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Nurse-Led Mobile Clinics to Improve Rural Health Access and Disaster Preparedness: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Texas Program.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Less continuity with more complaints: a repeated cross-sectional study of the association between relational continuity of care and patient complaints in English general practice.BMJ quality & safety · 2026Article
- "Loops and hurdles": secondary analysis of patient interview data to explore the experience of patient access to UK general practice.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- English general practice in a period of change: a mixed-methods study of staff and patient perspectives.BJGP open · 2026Article
- Categorizing continuity of care measures and why you have (probably) been doing it wrong: a methodological discussion and recommendations for researchers.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Article
- Categorizing continuity of care measures and why you have (probably) been doing it wrong: a methodological discussion and recommendations for researchers.The European journal of health economics : HEPAC : health economics in prevention and care · 2026Article
- Article
- Continuity of Primary Care in Community Health Centers.Annals of family medicine · 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
- Barriers to Digital Health Adoption in Older Adults: Scoping Review Informed by Innovation Resistance Theory.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Review
- 'It gives a sense of purpose': a survey exploring GP registrars' views on relational continuity of care.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Article
- Chatbot-Based Version of a World Health Organization-Validated Intervention for Stress Management in Patients With Breast Cancer (Self-Help Plus): Protocol for a Pilot Feasibility Study.JMIR research protocols · 2025Article
- Patients' Experiences With Using a Digital Platform for Chat-Based Consultation in Primary Health Care in Sweden: Qualitative Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Use of an electronic consultation system in an inner city general practice: a mixed-methods service evaluation.BMJ open quality · 2025Article
- Patterns in GP appointment systems: a cluster analysis of 3480 English practices.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Patient experiences of remote consulting with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis and fibromyalgia: a qualitative study.BJGP open · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe value of continuity in primary care has been demonstrated for multiple positive outcomes. However, little is known about how the expansion of remote and digital care models in primary care have impacted continuity.
aimTo explore the impact of the expansion of remote and digital care models on continuity in primary care. DESIGN AND
settingA systematic review of continuity in primary care.
methodA keyword search of Embase, MEDLINE, and CINAHL databases was used along with snowball sampling to identify relevant English-language qualitative and quantitative studies from any country between 2000 and 2022, which explored remote or digital approaches in primary care and continuity. Relevant data were extracted, analysed using GRADE-CERQual, and narratively synthesised.
resultsFifteen studies were included in the review. The specific impact of remote approaches on continuity was rarely overtly addressed. Some patients expressed a preference for relational continuity depending on circumstance, problem, and context; others prioritised access. Clinicians valued continuity, with some viewing remote consultations more suitable where there was high episodic or relational continuity. With lower continuity, patients and clinicians considered remote consultations harder, higher risk, and poorer quality. Some evidence suggested that remote approaches and/or their implementation risked worsening inequalities and causing harm by reducing continuity where it was valuable. However, if deployed strategically and flexibly, remote approaches could improve continuity.
conclusionWhile the value of continuity in primary care has previously been well demonstrated, the dearth of evidence around continuity in a remote and digital context is troubling. Further research is, therefore, needed to explore the links between the shift to remote care, continuity and equity, using real-world evaluation frameworks to ascertain when and for whom continuity adds most value, and how this can be enabled or maintained.
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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.