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. 2022 Oct 29;19(21):14119.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192114119.

Face-to-Face and Tele-Consults: A Study of the Effects on Diagnostic Activity and Patient Demand in Primary Healthcare

Lourdes E Barón-Miras  1 , Antoni Sisó-Almirall  2   3   4 , Belchin Kostov  5 , Encarna Sánchez  2 , Silvia Roura  2 , Jaume Benavent-Àreu  2 , Luis González-de Paz  2   3
Affiliations

Face-to-Face and Tele-Consults: A Study of the Effects on Diagnostic Activity and Patient Demand in Primary Healthcare

Lourdes E Barón-Miras et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Primary healthcare services have changed from face-to-face to tele-consults during the two COVID-19 years. We examined trends before and during the COVID-19 pandemic years based on groups of professionals, patient ages, and the associations with the diagnostic registry. We analyzed proportions for both periods, and ratios of the type of consults in 2017-2019 and 2020-2021 were calculated. The COVID-19 period was examined using monthly linear time trends. The results showed that consults in 2020-2021 increased by 24%. General practitioners saw significant falls in face-to-face consults compared with 2017-2019 (ratio 0.44; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.45), but the increase was not proportional across age groups; patients aged 15-44 years had 45.8% more tele-consults, and those aged >74 years had 18.2% more. Trends in linear regression models of face-to-face consults with general practitioners and monthly diagnostic activity were positive, while the tele-consult trend was inverse to the trend of the diagnostic registry and face-to-face consults. Tele-consults did not resolve the increased demand for primary healthcare services caused by COVID-19. General practitioners, nurses and primary healthcare professionals require better-adapted tele-consult tools for an effective diagnostic registry to maintain equity of access and answer older patients' needs and priorities in primary healthcare.

Keywords: COVID-19; pandemics; physician–patient relations; primary healthcare; remote consultation; telemedicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportions of face-to-face consults in 2017–2019 and 2020–2021 by type of PHC professional.
Figure 2
Figure 2
New diagnoses (excluding COVID-19 cases), tele-consults, face-to-face consults and number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the study area from January 2020 to December 2021.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Trends in monthly new diagnoses (excluding COVID-19 cases), tele-consults and face-to-face consults, from January 2020 to December 2021.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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