Andreadis, K., Muellers, K., Ancker, J. S., Horowitz, C., Kaushal, R., & Lin, J. J. (2023). Telemedicine impact on the patient-provider relationship in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Medical Care, 61(4), S83–S88. doi: 10.1097/MLR.0000000000001808
The COVID-19 pandemic made telemedicine, or remote healthcare, more common, requiring both patients and doctors to quickly adapt. This shift changed the patient-doctor relationship, which is an important part of care, especially in primary care. The study aimed to understand how patients and doctors experienced telemedicine during the pandemic and how it affected their relationship. It involved interviews with 21 doctors and 65 patients with chronic illnesses from primary care practices in New York City, North Carolina, and Florida. The findings showed that telemedicine made it harder for doctors and patients to connect. Patients felt that doctors weren’t as attentive, while doctors appreciated learning more about patients’ home lives. Both patients and doctors also had trouble communicating. The study concluded that telemedicine has changed how healthcare is delivered, especially in terms of physical space, and both doctors and patients need to adjust. It’s important to recognize what telemedicine can and can’t do to help doctors maintain the personal attention patients need to build strong relationships.
Table 1
Only patient participants were asked about their primary language, and only provider participants were asked about the type of practice they are working in. Patient participants were asked about their primary language and whether they preferred to take the interview in English or Spanish. Four participants with a “Spanish” primary language selected to do the interview in English, whereas 2 selected to do the interview in Spanish. Two participants selected “Other” as their primary language, but felt comfortable conducting the interview in English.