Categories
Change Password!
Reset Password!
Hybrid healthcare models combining telehealth with in-person visits improve access to chronic pain management, lower costs, and offer flexibility while facing privacy and digital access challenges.
A recent scoping review has highlighted the potential of hybrid healthcare models—combining telehealth with in-person visits—for chronic pain management. Conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) scoping review methodology and guided by the PRISMA-ScR checklist, the review examined studies involving adult patients and clinicians from databases including PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and gray literature from healthcare organizations. Screening followed the Population, Concept, and Context framework, with data analyzed through thematic analysis and descriptive statistics.
The review found that hybrid pain management models can remarkably boost access to care, especially for people living in rural areas, while reducing overall healthcare costs. Telehealth yields patients the convenience of virtual consultations and reduced travel, but it is not without drawbacks. Privacy concerns, unequal access to technology, and some patients’ preference for face-to-face interactions remain major barriers.
While virtual care provides flexibility, in-person visits remain indispensable for thorough diagnostics and fostering patient-provider trust—critical factors in tackling chronic pain successfully. Emerging tools such as machine learning could further refine hybrid models, making them more personalized and efficient. However, successful implementation will require training healthcare providers—particularly nurses—in telehealth platforms and digital communication while ensuring that in-person care continues to play a central role in patient engagement.
The findings suggest that hybrid models could become a cornerstone of chronic pain management, offering a cost-effective, adaptable approach that blends the best of both virtual and traditional care. Still, addressing privacy risks and bridging the digital divide will be fundamental to unlocking their full potential.
Pain Management Nursing
Scoping Review: A Hybrid Delivery Model of Pain Management
Brian Pervis
Comments (0)