The doctor-patient relationship and barriers in non-verbal communication during teleconsultation in the era of COVID-19: A scoping review
Isabel Pinedo-Torres, Eilhart Jorge García-Villasante, Claudia Gutiérrez‐Ortiz, Carlos Quispe-Sarria, Kevin O. Morales-Pocco, Jamil Cedillo-Balcázar, Cristian Morán‐Mariños, Víctor Baca-Carrasco
Abstract
<ns3:p> <ns3:bold>Background:</ns3:bold> Telemedicine is increasingly being used to provide virtual medical care. However, the transition to virtual consultations presents challenges for non-verbal communication. This scoping review aimed to identify and summarize studies that present data on barriers to non-verbal communication during teleconsultation. </ns3:p> <ns3:p> <ns3:bold>Methods:</ns3:bold> We searched MEDLINE/Pubmed, Ovid, APA, EBSCO, Web of Science and Scielo, without language or region restrictions. Our study included case series, cross-sectional, retrospective, and prospective cohorts that addressed barriers in any aspect of the non-verbal communication during teleconsultation. The quality of the evidence was assessed by the New Castle-Ottawa and Murad tools, and a thematic analysis was used for the qualitative synthesis of results. </ns3:p> <ns3:p> <ns3:bold>Results:</ns3:bold> We included 18 studies that reported qualitative findings related to the dimensions of non-verbal communication in telemedicine, which include ‘head and face’, ‘voice and speech’, ‘body language’, and ‘technical aspects’. The most reported barriers were facial gestures, looks, and body posture. </ns3:p> <ns3:p> <ns3:bold>Conclusions:</ns3:bold> Our study identified several dimensions of non-verbal communication that may pose barriers during teleconsultation. These findings may help guide the development of strategies to address these barriers and improve the quality of telemedicine services. </ns3:p>