SynthesisJournal of medical Internet research2026
Communication Strategies to Promote Patient Engagement in Telemedicine: Systematic Review.
Synthesis in Journal of medical Internet research, 2026. 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.
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
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Unveiling Patient-Level Harms and At-Risk Clinical Groups During Hospital Cyberattacks: Systematic Review of Global Case Studies and Social Media Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Pooled it
- Prompted Text-Based Vital Sign Recording Versus Unprompted Electronic Medical Record Entries in Patients With Advanced Heart Failure: Observational Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Observational
- Humor in Social Media Health Communication: A Systematic Review of Strategic Uses and Effects.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Interactional organization of WeChat-based pediatric consultations in China: a mixed-methods study of caregiver-physician exchanges.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe rapid growth of telemedicine offers convenience, flexibility, and accessibility for patients to have health care services worldwide. To succeed in telemedicine, health care practitioners and telemedicine tools must engage patients through effective communication. However, a research gap exists in understanding the communication strategies used in telemedicine and how they effectively engage patients.
objectiveThis study aims to identify communication strategies influencing patient engagement in telemedicine with provider-patient interactions, as well as how included studies evaluate patient engagement through a systematic review.
methodsWe searched the literature comprehensively using 6 databases, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Embase, from inception to October 2025. We included empirical, English-language studies that examined communication strategies affecting patient engagement in telemedicine with provider-patient interactions. Studies lacking actual patients or provider-patient interactions in telemedicine were excluded. We used content analysis to identify texts that were related to Theme 1: the communication strategies affecting patient engagement, and Theme 2: evaluation of patient engagement. Coded texts were analyzed to develop subthemes and themes of identified communication strategies. Methods for evaluating patient engagement were summarized. A narrative synthesis was conducted because of heterogeneity across study design and outcomes. We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to assess the quality of research included in this study.
resultsThis study systematically reviewed 34 peer-reviewed articles, revealing 3 overarching themes of effective communication strategies that enhance patient engagement: interpersonal communication strategies, with 6 subthemes (building relationships, supportive attitude, interactive dialogic loop, nonverbal communication, professionalism and accuracy, and tailored communication); team-level communication strategies, with 3 subthemes (training and preparation, teamwork and care coordination, and cultural and linguistic sensitivity); and system-level communication strategies, with 3 subthemes (usefulness of information, ease of use, and data privacy and security). We also found that included studies predominantly used qualitative research methods, such as semistructured interviews and focus groups, to collect patient engagement data.
conclusionsThis review provides an innovative synthesis of communication strategies that promote patient engagement in telemedicine by integrating interpersonal (micro), team (meso), and system-level (macro) perspectives. Unlike previous reviews that focused on single aspects or levels of communication, this study offers a holistic framework that advances theoretical understanding of how multilevel communication strategies collectively shape patient engagement. Practically, the findings offer actionable guidance for health care professionals, telemedicine developers, and policymakers seeking to enhance the quality and sustainability of telemedicine services. In real-world settings, the identified strategies can inform professional training, platform design, and policy development to support patient-centered digital care. This review is the first to systematically bring together communication strategies for patient engagement in telemedicine across all 3 levels. Future research should build on this framework by developing and validating quantitative measures of patient engagement and examining the relationships between communication strategies and telemedicine outcomes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.