Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39154349›Full record

Observational studyJournal of advanced nursing2025

Telemedicine as a counselling tool for nurses in Central Africa.

María Rodríguez-Ortega, Yolanda Ortega-Latorre, Enrique Montano-Navarro, Alfonso Jaime Casado-Collado, François Roger Nguepy, Fleur Damou

Abstract readObservational StudyComparative Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of advanced nursing, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Observational
  3. Article
  4. 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

6 authors.

María Rodríguez-OrtegaSan Juan de Dios Foundation, Madrid, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3721-9626
Yolanda Ortega-LatorreSan Juan de Dios Foundation, Madrid, Spain.
Enrique Montano-NavarroCentro de Salud Universitario Pinto, Madrid, Spain.
Alfonso Jaime Casado-ColladoDepartamento de Medicina Preventiva, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
François Roger NguepyHôpital Saint Vincent de Paul de Dschang, Dschang, Cameroon.
Fleur DamouCentre de Santé Mère Nazaria Ignacia de Oyack, Oyack, Douala, Cameroon.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimCompare the use and trend of a telemedicine tool for clinical advice among nurses and other Cameroonian healthcare providers and explore its feasibility and accessibility.

designA comparative observational descriptive study.

methodsThe sample includes all telemedicine users who request advice from volunteer medical specialists in Spain on clinical cases through the telemedicine tool "diagnosis assistance" (DA). It consisted of a total of 296 Cameroonian health professionals (59% women), of whom 77 were nurses. The variables in which the trend was explored (2013-2022) were DAs entered by nurses versus other healthcare professionals, compared by primary specialty, comments and documents attached. Feasibility and accessibility were explored through an anonymous survey.

resultsThere were 2527 DAs between 2013 and 2022, of which nurses introduced 68%. There is an increasing trend in the nurse/other healthcare providers ratio, with significant differences in the chi-square of the linear trend between 2015 and 2022 (χ

conclusionsTelemedicine for clinical advice has been used mostly and with increasing tendency by nurses, mainly in internal medicine, gynaecology and dermatology, being a useful and feasible resource that can contribute to improving clinical decision-making by African nurses. IMPACT: The study addressed the problem of the shortage of health professionals in Central Africa and the search for alternatives that facilitate decision-making in this context. Tele-counselling tools through digital platforms that put Spanish specialists in contact with health professionals in Central Africa are mostly used by nurses working in rural health centres with a growing trend in their use. The research allows us to determine that tele-counselling tools constitute a well-accepted resource, which has a positive impact in environments with a shortage of human health resources, favouring the safety of both the nursing professional, through support in decision-making, and the populations to whom they provide care, who benefit from a multidisciplinary approach to their processes. REPORTING

methodThe study has adhered to STROBE guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No Patient or Public Contribution.

Indexed as

CounselingNursesTelemedicineAdultCameroonFeasibility StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSurveys and QuestionnairesCameroondistance counsellinginequalities in healthinternational cooperationnursingtelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID39154349
PMCPMC11967317

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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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.