Virtual physical examination in teleconsultation: A scoping review.

Publication date: Nov 01, 2024

The conduct of virtual physical examination has provided significant information for the diagnosis during a teleconsultation session, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, where in-person physical examinations have been greatly compromised. The aim of this scoping review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the available evidence concerning virtual physical examination (VPE) in all healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review focuses on types of VPE, technological and non-technological approaches, patient and clinician experiences, as well as barriers and facilitators of VPE. A literature search was conducted across three databases, namely MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus. Only studies in the English language with primary research data collected from December 2019 to January 2023 were included. A narrative analysis, highlighting patients’ and clinicians’ experiences, was conducted on the included studies. This scoping review was reported using The PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. A total of 25 articles meeting eligibility criteria were identified. Three major types of VPE included were musculoskeletal, head and neck, and chest exams. Sixteen studies involved specific technological aids, while three studies involved non-technological aids. Patients found VPE helped them to better assess their disease conditions, or aided their clinicians’ understanding of their conditions. Clinicians also reported that VPE had provided enough clinically relevant information for decision-making in 2 neurological evaluations. Barriers to conducting VPE included technological challenges, efficacy concerns, confidence level of assistants, as well as patient health conditions, health literacy, safety, and privacy. Patients found virtual physical examination (VPE) helpful in understanding their own conditions, and clinicians found it useful for better assessing patient’s conditions. From the clinicians’ point of view, VPE provided sufficient clinically relevant information for decision-making in neurological evaluations. Major barriers identified for VPE included technological issues, patient’s health conditions, and their health literacy.

Concepts Keywords
Exams Betacoronavirus
Medline Coronavirus Infections
Pandemic COVID-19
Sixteen COVID-19
Teleconsultation Humans
Pandemics
Physical Examination
Physical examination
Pneumonia, Viral
Remote Consultation
SARS-CoV-2
Technology
Teleconsultation
Telemedicine
Virtual care

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease MESH COVID-19 pandemic
disease MESH aids
drug DRUGBANK Tropicamide
disease MESH privacy
disease MESH Coronavirus Infections
disease MESH Pneumonia Viral

Original Article

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