ReviewCureus2025
Telemedicine in Afghanistan: Implementation, Outcomes, and Future Directions in a Resource-Constrained Setting.
Review in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Afghanistan faces major challenges in healthcare access due to decades of conflict, geographic isolation, and limited infrastructure. Telemedicine presents a promising solution to bridge these gaps by leveraging technology to connect healthcare providers and patients across distances and time zones. This review explores the current landscape of telemedicine in Afghanistan, synthesizing evidence from published studies, program evaluations, and implementation reports across multiple specialties and healthcare settings. Telemedicine initiatives in the country span critical care, mental health, ophthalmology, general medicine, and emergency services, extending their benefits to both urban and rural populations. Key programs include the Central Asia Health Systems Strengthening (CAHSS) Project (6,140 teleconsultations), tele-ICU services (6,014 consultations showing reduced mortality), mental health interventions in remote provinces, and military teleophthalmology programs. Despite notable barriers such as limited Internet connectivity, unreliable electricity, regulatory gaps, cultural resistance, low digital literacy, and workforce shortages, telemedicine has improved access to care, strengthened provider capacity, reduced stigma, and demonstrated high patient satisfaction and cost-effectiveness, particularly in underserved regions. Overall, telemedicine represents a viable and effective strategy for enhancing healthcare delivery in Afghanistan. Continued progress will depend on sustained investment in digital infrastructure, supportive policy frameworks, workforce development, community engagement, and robust monitoring systems. Further research should focus on longitudinal evaluations, national registries, and comprehensive cost-effectiveness analyses to inform future telemedicine expansion and sustainability.
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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.