Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42443757›Full record

ArticleBMC primary care2026

Comparing the quality of video and phone consultations in primary care telemedicine: a cross-sectional study of over 180,000 appointments.

Daniel Beirão, Filipe Freitas Pinto, João Magalhães, Carlos Franclim Silva, Bernardo Sousa-Pinto, Ana Luísa Neves, Paulo Santos

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC primary care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Daniel BeirãoMEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal. danielbeirao@med.up.pt.
Filipe Freitas PintoMEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal. filipe@knokcare.com.
João MagalhãesMEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal.
Carlos Franclim SilvaMEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal.
Bernardo Sousa-PintoMEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal.
Ana Luísa NevesMEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal.
Paulo SantosMEDCIDS, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, Porto, 4200-319, Portugal.

Funding

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia reference UID/06397/2025
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTelemedicine has gained prominence in primary care, but evidence comparing its modalities is scarce.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 184,308 video and phone consultations from a telemedicine platform in Portugal, comparing quality indicators based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) domains.

resultsVideo consultations were associated with lower recurrence rates, higher patient-reported helpfulness (95.4% vs. 92.3%), and greater satisfaction. Time to appointment was shorter for phone consultations, but video had a longer duration.

conclusionsIn this cross-sectional analysis, video consultations were associated with higher patient-reported helpfulness and lower short-term recurrence than telephone consultations, while telephone offered faster access. Because telephone users were substantially older and the dataset lacked measures of comorbidity, illness severity, and socioeconomic status, these associations are likely confounded by indication and should not be read as causal evidence of superior quality. The findings nonetheless point to differences between modalities and to the importance of equitable access to information-richer consultations.

Indexed as

Primary Health CareTelemedicineTelephoneVideoconferencingAdultAgedAppointments and SchedulesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPatient SatisfactionPortugalPatient reported outcomesPrimary health careQuality of health careTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID42443757

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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.