Table 6 Impact of eHealth in different groups
From: The impact of eHealth on relationships and trust in primary care: a review of reviews
Does the impact of eHealth on relationships and/or trust differ by age group? | Type of technology |
LeBlanc et al. [54] – Increased willingness and comfort with sharing information virtually particularly in teenagers. | Communication systems |
Drovandi et al. [55] – Older patients particularly felt that telehealth facilitated discussions with providers and supplemented standard visits. | Communication systems |
Kinley et al. [56] – Remote consultations lead to creation and sustenance of positive working relationships, particularly in younger patients. | Communication systems |
Spelten et al. [57] – Young computer literate people reported being able to better develop a trusting relationship with their provider via telehealth compared to older people. | Communication systems |
Does the impact of eHealth on relationships and/or trust differ by socioeconomic status? | Type of technology |
Siegel et al. [58] – providers felt that telephone use is preferred by patients of lower socioeconomic status, but is less personal and creates more challenges in collecting information and maintain therapeutic alliance without access to facial and body cues. | Communication systems |
Odendaal et al. [16] – mHealth led to new forms of engagement and relationships with clients and communities, with some providers expressing concerns about increased inequity from using expensive equipment and others believing that access to mobile devices was beneficial to clients and communities who could not afford one. | Communication systems |
Adjekum et al. [59] – Socioeconomic status is noted as a personal factor influencing trust, but not elaborated on. They conclude that more research is required. | Multiple types of technology |
Wark et al. [60] – Low health literacy and low socioeconomic status are noted to be barriers to integrating Social Determinants of Health data into EHR specifically with respect to patient-provider relationships, but not explained further. | Management systems |
Does the impact of eHealth on relationships and/or trust differ according to the patient’s functional ability? | |
Barbosa et al. [61] – Clinical condition mentioned as a potential communication barrier in telehealth context, but not explained. | Communication systems |
Simpson et al. [62] – Providers feel that therapeutic alliance is impaired in patients with epilepsy and PTSD. The review also notes that videoconferencing might be more appropriate for some types of patients with certain types of mental health challenges who have a “heightened need for distance and safety” whereas paranoid and avoidant personality characteristics or difficulty trusting others may limit effectiveness of videoconferencing. | Communication systems |
LeBlanc et al. [54] – Patients were more willing to and comfortable with sharing information about mental health concerns virtually, but providers perceive need for human contact. | Communication systems |
Siegel et al. [58] – Providers felt that remote delivery creates challenges in focusing in the presence of interruptions and distractions, particularly for patients with cognitive behavioural challenges. | Communication systems |
Verma et al. [63] – Providers reported communication challenges during telemedicine, particularly for patients with hearing impairments. | Communication systems |
Lindenfeld et al. [64] – Telemedicine can potentially decrease “human connection”, make it challenging to convey empathy, and create communication barriers for patients with visual and auditive impairments. | Communication systems |
Does the impact of eHealth on relationships and/or trust differ according to language? | |
Henry et al. [65] – communication challenges during videoconferencing can be exacerbated by language barriers. | Communication systems |
Verma et al. [63] – providers noted communication challenges during telemedicine when there were language barriers, which were more commonly noted with patients in high social vulnerability index areas. | Communication systems |
Lindenfeld et al. [64]—Telemedicine can potentially decrease “human connection”, make communication and conveying empathy challenging with patients speaking non-native languages. | Communication systems |
Does the impact of eHealth on relationships and/or trust differ for patients belonging to minority/disadvantaged groups? | |
Spelten et al. [57] – Patients and providers perceived limited access to non-verbal cues and capacity for relationship building via phone, particularly for minority participants. | Communication systems |
Benjamins et al. [66] – Disadvantaged groups (referring to ethnic minorities and those with lower educational levels) experience increased trust in White providers through increased access to their records and transparency and are likely to benefit more. | Management systems |
Does the impact of eHealth on relationships and/or trust differ according to gender? | |
Barbosa et al. [61] – Gender is mentioned as a potential communication barrier in telehealth context but not explained further. | Communication systems |