Communication challenges experienced by clinicians and patients during teleconsultation: a scoping review

Background As teleconsultations continue to rise in popularity due to their convenience and accessibility, it is crucial to identify and address the challenges they present in order to improve the patient experience, enhance outcomes, and ensure the quality of care. To identify communication challenges that clinicians and patients experience during teleconsultation, a scoping review was conducted. Objective This study aimed to identify communication challenges that clinicians and patients experience during teleconsultation. Methods Studies were obtained from four databases (Ovid [MEDLINE], Ovid [Embase], CINAHL, and Scopus). Gray literatures were not included. Studies focused on communication challenges between clinicians and their patients during teleconsultation in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and published from January 2000 to December 2022, were collected. The screening process was conducted by two independent reviewers. Data extraction was performed using a standardized form to capture study characteristics and communication challenges. Extracted data were analyzed to identify the communication challenges during teleconsultation, adherent to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR). Results A total of 893 studies were collected from four databases and 26 studies were selected based on inclusion/exclusion criteria. Of these 26 eligible studies, 12 (46%) were from the United States, 3 studies (12%) were from Australia, and 2 (8%) were from the United Kingdom and Canada. These studies included 12 (46%) qualitative studies, 6 (23%) quantitative studies, 6 (23%) review articles, and 2 (8%) case reports. Eight factors contributing to communication challenges between clinicians and patients during teleconsultations were identified: technical issues, difficulties in developing rapport, lack of non-verbal communication, lack of physical examination, language barrier, spatial issues, clinician preparation, and difficulties in assessing patients' health literacy. Conclusion Eight factors were identified as contributing to communication challenges during teleconsultation in the context of COVID-19. These findings highlight the need to address communication challenges to ensure effective teleconsultations. With the rise of teleconsultation in routine health care delivery, further research is warranted to confirm these findings and to explore ways to overcome communication challenges during teleconsultation.