This systematic review aims to identify the elements of doctor-patient communication in telemedicine, emerging challenges, and proposed recommendations. Four databases, including Science Direct, PubMed, Cochrane, and ProQuest, were searched using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The inclusion criteria consisted of original research papers, availability of free full text, and publications during the past 10 years. A total of 13 articles completed the selection process and satisfied the established criteria. The issues and recommendations of telemedicine communication were categorized into three distinct groups: pre-consultation, during-consultation, and post-consultation. Preparation encompasses the arranging of visual elements, safeguarding patient privacy and confidentiality, and addressing any technical challenges that may arise. The consultation encompasses nonverbal behavior, empathy, the doctor-patient connection, and a physical examination. Post-telemedicine consultations refer to medical appointments that occur after a telemedicine session, typically involving follow-up medical interactions. Telemedicine presents unique challenges in doctor-patient consultations that differ from face-to-face interactions. Therefore, clinicians must acquire communication skills specific to telemedicine to ensure effective consultations and achieve optimal health results.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Assessment of Telemedicine Perceptions, Usability, and Implementation Barriers Among Physicians in Kazakhstan Using the Telehealth Usability Questionnaire-Model for Assessment of Telemedicine-Kazakhstan Version (TUQ-MAST-KZ) Questionnaire: Pilot Cross-Sec Kulzhamila Kenessova, Mariya Anartayeva, Kanatzhan Кеmelbekov, Aizat Seidakhmetova, Altynshash Kushkarova, Talgat Rysbekov, Aigul Sultangaziyeva JMIR Formative Research.2026; 10: e83667. CrossRef
Advancing conversational diagnostic AI with multimodal reasoning Khaled Saab, Chunjong Park, Tim Strother, Jan Freyberg, David G. T. Barrett, Yong Cheng, Wei-Hung Weng, David Stutz, Nenad Tomasev, Anil Palepu, Valentin Liévin, Yash Sharma, Roma Ruparel, Abdullah Ahmed, Elahe Vedadi, Kimberly Kanada, Cian Hughes, Yun Li Nature Medicine.2026; 32(5): 1726. CrossRef
Mapping global inequities in telemedicine implementation: An umbrella review of barriers and facilitators Angelo Capodici, Alessandro Filippeschi, Francesca Noci, Alessandra Michelucci, Safae El Motarajji, Vera Benedetto, Andrea Vandelli, Claudio Passino, Michele Emdin, Sabina Nuti, Carlo Alberto Avizzano, Nicola Bellè, Alberto Giannoni, Yagnik Dave PLOS One.2026; 21(7): e0351885. CrossRef
Use and Acceptance of Innovative Digital Health Solutions Among Patients and Professionals: Survey Study Fritz Seidl, Florian Hinterwimmer, Ferdinand Vogt, Günther M Edenharter, Karl F Braun, Rüdiger von Eisenhart-Rothe, Peter Biberthaler, Dominik Pförringer JMIR Human Factors.2025; 12: e60779. CrossRef
The purpose of this study is to review communication skills education in medical education. This analysis looks at the reasons why communication skills education is difficult and how to design an effective curriculum for communication skills education. Problems in communication skills education are discussed, especially in relation to the complexity of the communication between patients and physicians, the changing of the communication model, and curriculum composition. Findings show that it is necessary to design a spiral curriculum for communication skills education, to harmonize theory and practice of communication, to encourage student participation, and to provide feedback to students.
To educate communication skills, this paper concludes, professors in charge of communication skills education must seriously consider their teaching and evaluating methods and practice what they teach.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Bedside skills as context engineering: reframing history taking and physical examination for the AI era Sanghyun Ahn, Eunbae B. Yang Korean Journal of Medical Education.2026; 38(2): 207. CrossRef
Experiences and perspectives on patient-centered education of medical students in Korea Inji Yeom, Kiduk Kim, Junhwan Choi, Dong-Mi Yoo Korean Journal of Medical Education.2022; 34(4): 259. CrossRef
The Implementation of Communication Didactics for OB/GYN Residents on the Disclosure of Adverse Perioperative Events Esther H. Chung, Tracy Truong, Karen R. Jooste, Jonathan E. Fischer, Brittany A. Davidson Journal of Surgical Education.2021; 78(3): 942. CrossRef
The Development of Evaluation Methods for Outcomes in Medical Humanities Curriculum of a Medical School Hye-Jin Park, Sun-Young Kwon, Dong-Yoon Keum, Dae-Hyun Kim, Dong-Eun Kim, Jae-Bum Kim, Jin-Hee Kim, Won-Ki Baek, Jung-Sook Ha, Il-Seon Hwang, Jung-Jeung Lee, Ae-Hwa Lee, Seon-Kyoung Kim, Ha-Young Jung, Won-Kyun Park Keimyung Medical Journal.2021; 40(2): 77. CrossRef
Qualitative Research on Communication Education of Dental Hygienist by Focus Group Interview Jin-Sun Choi, Deuk-Sang Ma, Se-Hwan Jung, Deok-Young Park Journal of Dental Hygiene Science.2018; 18(2): 113. CrossRef
A Case Study on the Validity of Dental Communication Curriculum of a Dental Hygiene Department Yong-Keum Choi, Soo-Myoung Bae, Bo-Mi Shin, Jung-Hui Son, Deok-Young Park, Jin-Sun Choi Journal of Dental Hygiene Science.2017; 17(4): 306. CrossRef
The Effect of Recorded Video Monitoring on Students’ Self Reflection of Patient‐Physician Interaction Misun Ju, Jiyeong Hwang, Jaemyung Kim, Jeaku Kang Korean Medical Education Review.2017; 19(2): 83. CrossRef
Utilization of Rimini Protokolls documentary theatre in the Medical Humanities. 김정숙 Journal of korean theatre studies association.2015; 1(null): 375. CrossRef
Curriculum of Communication Skills for Pre-medical Students 전민영 Health Communication, the Official Journal of Korean Academy on Communication in Healthcare.2015; 10(1): 47. CrossRef
The development and effects of a medical communication skills program for medical school students Hyo Hyun Yoo, Jung Soo Kim Korean Journal of Medical Education.2014; 26(3): 189. CrossRef
Development of Educational Program for Cultural Competence in Nursing for Nursing Students and its Effects Sun-Hee Kim The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education.2013; 19(4): 580. CrossRef
Development of Physician Coaching Model for Improvement of Patient-Doctor Communication Hyun Sook Na, Young Dae Kwon, Jin-Won Noh The Journal of the Korea Contents Association.2013; 13(2): 331. CrossRef
Ego Resilience, Communication Ability and Problem-Solving Ability in Nursing Students Eun Joo Ji, Mi Ran Bang, Hye Jin Jeon The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education.2013; 19(4): 571. CrossRef
Medical Students' Perception and Satisfaction with Medical Communication Teaching Using Electronic Modules Eal Whan Park Korean Journal of Medical Education.2012; 24(3): 197. CrossRef
Factors related to Communication of Oriental Medical Students 안효자, 송민선, Younghae Chung Health Communication, the Official Journal of Korean Academy on Communication in Healthcare.2012; 7(1): 8. CrossRef
Correlation of Communication Skills for Emotional Empathy and Academic Achievement on Clinical Performance Examinations Seon Suk Jang, Ji Hyun Seo, Gyeong Jae Cho, Soon Chan Hong, Hyang Ok Woo Korean Journal of Medical Education.2010; 22(2): 121. CrossRef
PURPOSE We specifically investigated the young doctor (residents) patient doctor-patient relationship in Korea. A society built on Confucianism, age is expected to affect even the doctor-patient relationship.
METHODS 57 residents participated and answered 6 open-ended questions. 90 patients of various age participated and answered 3 open-ended and 6 close-ended questions.
RESULTS It seems that the general problem of the doctor-patient relationships was related to attitudes and communication skills. Over 80% of the residents felt uncomfortable and received inappropriate verbal expressions and attitudes from their patients simply because they were young or younger than the patients. This negative experience resulted mostly from the residents' self-perceived lack of experience and clinical competence and the patients' distrust of young doctors. As for the patients, over 80% preferred middle-aged doctors to young doctors. Middleaged doctors were thought to be easier to understand, better mannered, more humane, and clinically competent. Most residents expected professional respect from their patients, while patients expected kindness and humility from the young doctors. This shows a gap in the reciprocal expectations between residents and patients.
CONCLUSION Young doctors are perceived as inexperienced and incompetent and, consequently, not trusted by patients in Korea. To improve the resident-patient relationship, improvement in attitude and communication skills is needed.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Patients’ Experiences of Sexual Discomfort in South Korean Healthcare Setting: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study Yegyu Lee, Soo Yeon Lim, Sihyun Park Asian Nursing Research.2025; 19(4): 389. CrossRef
Medical Students' Perceptions of Patient-Doctor Relationship in South Korea: Concept Mapping Analysis So Jung Yune, Seung Hee Kang, Kwihwa Park Frontiers in Public Health.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Effect of the Emotional Freedom Techniques on anger symptoms in Hwabyung patients: A comparison with the progressive muscle relaxation technique in a pilot randomized controlled trial Hui-Yong Kwak, Eun-Ji Choi, Jong-Woo Kim, Hyo-Weon Suh, Sun-Yong Chung EXPLORE.2020; 16(3): 170. CrossRef
Challenges to concordance: theories that explain variations in patient responses Julie Green, Rebecca Jester British Journal of Community Nursing.2019; 24(10): 466. CrossRef
Challenges to concordance: theories that explain variations in patient responses Julie Green, Rebecca Jester Nursing and Residential Care.2019; 21(11): 626. CrossRef
A qualitative study on physicians' perceptions of specialty characteristics Kwi Hwa Park, Soo-Koung Jun, Ie Byung Park Korean Journal of Medical Education.2016; 28(3): 269. CrossRef
The Change of CPX Scores according to Repeated CPXs Yoon Hee Lee, Jae Hyun Park, Jin Kyung Ko, Hyo Bin Yoo Korean Journal of Medical Education.2011; 23(3): 193. CrossRef
Comparison of Patient-Physician Interaction (PPI) Evaluation between Different Grade Medical Students Dae-hyun Kim, Hui-jung Yoon, Min-ji Lee, Ji-yon Ahn, Seun-jun Lee, Young-sung Suh Korean Journal of Medical Education.2010; 22(3): 169. CrossRef
Correlation of Communication Skills for Emotional Empathy and Academic Achievement on Clinical Performance Examinations Seon Suk Jang, Ji Hyun Seo, Gyeong Jae Cho, Soon Chan Hong, Hyang Ok Woo Korean Journal of Medical Education.2010; 22(2): 121. CrossRef
Medical Students' Attitudes Toward the Patient-Doctor Relationship Jaehyun Park Korean Journal of Medical Education.2007; 19(3): 215. CrossRef
PURPOSE The patient-centered attitude is an effort to understand patients themselves as well as their disease. The doctor-oriented approach has been shifting to one where patients and participate in the deciding of medical service.
We performed this study to investigate the patient-centeredness and influencing variables associated with personality traits.
METHODS We recruited 94 medical students before their psychiatric clinical clerkship, and all subjects were assessed by a structured questionnaire including socio-demographic data, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(MMPI), Meyers-Briggs type indicator(MBTI), the patient-practitioner Orientation Scale(PPOS), and the Authoritarian Personality scale(AP), The AP and PPOS questionnaires were repeated after the psychiatric clinical clerkship.
RESULTS After the psychiatric clinical clerkship, the AP scores were significantly lower than before, and the PPOS significantly higher than before. The change in the AP scores were related to MBTI, correlated with MMPI subscales, however, inversely correlated with the changes in PPOS after the clinical clerkship.
CONCLUSION The authoritarian personality trait was related to, not only the personality trait including MBTI and MMPI subscales, but also to patient-centeredness in medical students.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Evaluation of Medical Students’ Orientations in the Patient-Physician Relationship and Empathy Levels Ahmet AY, Alaettin ÜNSAL, Ali KILINÇ, Tuğçe ARSLAN TORBA, Didem ARSLANTAŞ, Kazım TIRPAN OSMANGAZİ JOURNAL OF MEDICINE.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Medical Students' Perceptions of Patient-Doctor Relationship in South Korea: Concept Mapping Analysis So Jung Yune, Seung Hee Kang, Kwihwa Park Frontiers in Public Health.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Changes in the Degree of Patient Expectations for Patient-Centered Care in a Primary Care Setting Chang-Jin Choi, Sun-Wook Hwang, Ha-Na Kim Korean Journal of Family Medicine.2015; 36(2): 103. CrossRef
Differences in Attitude Toward Patient-centeredness in Patients and Physicians Min-Jeong Kim Korean Journal of Medical Education.2013; 25(2): 149. CrossRef
The Relationship between the Level of I-conscousness We-consciousness and Interpersonal Problems of Korean Medical Students Eunbae B. Yang, Wootack Jeon, Sook-hee Ryue Korean Journal of Medical Education.2010; 22(2): 141. CrossRef
The Relationship between Empathy and Medical Education System, Grades, and Personality in Medical College Students and Medical School Students Byung Kuk Lee, Geon Ho Bahn, Won Hye Lee, Jun Heon Park, Tai Young Yoon, Sang Bin Baek Korean Journal of Medical Education.2009; 21(2): 117. CrossRef
Are There Gaps between Medical Students and Professors in the Perception of Students' Professionalism Level? - Secondary Publication Yera Hur Yonsei Medical Journal.2009; 50(6): 751. CrossRef
Comparison of Patient-centeredness Changes between Medical School Graduates and Medical Students after Psychiatric Clerkship Bong Sik Hong, Tae Ho Kim, Jeong Seok Seo, Tong Wook Kim, Seok Woo Moon Korean Journal of Medical Education.2009; 21(2): 133. CrossRef
The Relationship Between Personality Types, Communication Skills and Learning Attitudes in Premedical Students Young Hee Lee, Young-Mee Lee, Byung Soo Kim Korean Journal of Medical Education.2008; 20(3): 177. CrossRef
Are There Gaps in the Perception of Medical Students' Professionalism Between Medical Students and Professors? Yera Hur Korean Journal of Medical Education.2008; 20(3): 209. CrossRef
Selected aspects of spinning apparatus development in Araneus cavaticus (Araneae, Araneidae) Mark A. Townley, Norman V. Horner, Nancy A. Cherim, Cathy R. Tugmon, Edward K. Tillinghast Journal of Morphology.1991; 208(2): 175. CrossRef