Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40009835›Full record

ArticleJournal of medical Internet research2025

Correlation Between the Online Visiting Time and Frequency Increase in Telemedicine Services Offered by Health Care Providers Before, During, and After the COVID-19 Pandemic in China: Cross-Sectional Study.

Weiyi Wang, Yuntian Chu, Fangfang Cui, Xiaobing Shi, Xu Zhang, Dongxu Sun, Jinming Shi, Jie Zhao

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical Internet research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–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. Article
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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.

Weiyi Wang *National Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2995-9613
Yuntian Chu *National Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8931-7917
Fangfang CuiNational Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1870-7907
Xiaobing ShiNational Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8646-475X
Xu ZhangNational Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4624-8175
Dongxu SunNational Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4914-9132
Jinming ShiNational Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3222-3845
Jie ZhaoNational Engineering Laboratory for Internet Medical Systems and Applications, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1168-8384

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChina has changed its COVID-19 prevention and control status since 2023. However, what role telemedicine will play post-COVID-19 is still uncertain.

objectiveWe aimed to determine the frequency change in health care providers offering telemedicine services before, during, and after COVID-19, as well as the correlation between the frequency change and telemedicine visit time.

methodsThe Telemedicine Informationization Professional Committee of China (TIPC) carried out a nationwide questionnaire survey. We adopted data from part of the questionnaires that answered questions regarding the frequency of offering telemedicine services before, during, and after the COVID-19 explosion. Chi-square tests were applied to compare general differences in the between-group telemedicine frequency. Regression models were performed to analyze correlations between the frequency change and the time spent in online versus in-person visits.

resultsQuestionnaires from 428 providers were included. As reported, 39 (9.11%) providers often and 159 (37.15%) always offered telemedicine services before COVID-19 exploded. The component ratio increased to 12.38% (n=53) of providers often and 45.79% (n=196) always offering telemedicine during COVID-19 explosion and 12.62% (n=54) often and 50% (n=214) always offering telemedicine after pandemic control was relaxed. The increase in frequency shown as a difference between the before and during groups (χ2=17.21, P.002) and between the before and after groups (χ2=30.17, P<.001) was significant, while it was insignificant between the during and after groups (χ2=2.89, P.57). Senior professional titles (odds ratio [OR] 4.38, 95% CI 1.72-11.6) and longer (OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.95-7.89) and shorter (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.11-3.87) online visits were correlated with the increase in frequency during versus before COVID-19. In addition, senior professional titles (OR 3.47, 95% CI 1.46-8.49), longer (OR 3.14, 95% CI 1.64-6.11) and shorter (OR=2.27, 95% CI 1.31-4.07) online visits, and using third-party telemedicine platforms (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.29-0.86) were correlated with the increase in frequency after versus before COVID-19. No factor was significantly correlated with the frequency change after versus during COVID-19. In stratified analysis, longer online visits were correlated with both during versus before (OR 3.84, 95% CI 1.73-8.83) and after versus before (OR 3.40, 95% CI 1.61-7.34) groups for providers using hospital-run platforms, while shorter online visits were correlated with both during versus before (OR 8.16, 95% CI 1.39-68.3) and after versus before (OR 5.70, 95% CI 1.22-33.6) groups for providers using third-party platforms.

conclusionsThe frequency of telemedicine has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic exploded and is correlated with the time spent in online versus in-person visits. The correlation is different for providers using hospital-run and third party platforms. On a hospital-run platform, providers with longer online visits have a higher frequency of offering telemedicine, while on a third-party platform, providers with shorter online visits are more likely to offer telemedicine.

Indexed as

COVID-19Health PersonnelTelemedicineAdultChinaCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMalePandemicsSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesTime FactorsChinaCOVID-19healthcare providerlength of online visitpandemicpost–COVID-19preventionprovider’s perspectivequestionnairesurveytelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID40009835
PMCPMC11904373

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.