Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37652657›Full record

ArticleThe world journal of men's health2024

Direct-to-Consumer Telemedicine Practices in the Health and Fertility of Men: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Christopher Lim, Winston Wu, Justin La, Vincent Chan, Kathryn M Schubach, Glenn Duns, Daniel Lantsberg, Darren J Katz

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The world journal of men's health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 9 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Christopher LimDepartment of Urology, Western Health, St Albans, Australia. chrislimjl@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7075-5419
Winston WuDepartment of Urology, Western Health, St Albans, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1421-8604
Justin LaDepartment of Urology, Kaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center, San Rafael, CA, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1596-6193
Vincent ChanMen's Health Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8222-3504
Kathryn M SchubachMen's Health Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2792-6834
Glenn DunsMen's Health Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5189-3449
Daniel LantsbergMen's Health Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7106-1543
Darren J KatzDepartment of Urology, Western Health, St Albans, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0861-5643
Melbourne Health · AUWestern Health · AUKaiser Permanente San Rafael Medical Center · USRoyal Women's Hospital · AUThe University of Melbourne · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeMen are increasingly turning toward online direct-to-consumer (DTC) men's health platforms to fulfill their health needs. Research surrounding these platforms is lacking and the motivations and predictors underlying this online health-seeking behavior is largely unknown. This review scopes the existing literature concerning DTC men's health and identifies factors influencing engagement, as well as health outcomes of this platform. MATERIALS AND

methodsA structured search was performed following PRISMA guidelines. CINAHL via EBSCO, Embase, MEDLINE via Ovid, PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science were searched.

resultsPeer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative studies with a focus on demographics and characteristics of those using DTC men's health platforms, as well as studies related to patient outcomes using such platforms, were included. Ten of the 3,003 studies identified met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Four cross-sectional descriptive studies evaluated the motivations behind men's engagement with DTC platforms. Convenience, embarrassment and health motivation were identified as predominant factors associated with DTC platform use. The review identified a lack of qualitative studies, and major limitations were noted in the quantitative studies that impacted the accuracy of findings. Six further quantitative studies explored the quality of care provided by DTC platforms. DTC platforms were found to have a varying level of adherence to established clinical guidelines, but appeared to provide satisfactory patient outcomes with low levels of patient-reported side effects and adverse events.

conclusionsThere is a lack of research within the DTC men's health space given the infancy of the field. Important predictors and motivations underlying men's choices in accessing these platforms have been noted across several studies. However, further studies need to be conducted to investigate the psychosocial underpinnings of this behavior. Studies across a wider variety of male health conditions treated by these platforms will also help to provide insights to guide patient-centered care within the DTC landscape.

Indexed as

Direct-to-consumer advertisingErectile dysfunctionMen's healthTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID37652657
PMCPMC10782129
OpenAlexW4386200465

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.