Patients With Long-Term Conditions Prefer Remote Visits for Routine Care

More than half of patients with long-term conditions (LTCs) surveyed said they preferred a remote consult vs an in-person visit with their referring physician, particularly for discussion of results and medication renewal, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.¹

Nearly one-third of all adults in Western countries have LTCs. However, management of these conditions involves significant hurdles regarding transportation and ill-timed consultations. This issue is not limited to care management in patients with LTCs. Patients who are eligible to enroll in clinical trials also face barriers related to access, with one of the primary challenges also being transportation.² This access gap also leaves patients with LTCs to manage care on their own in between visits, often with little guidance on when and how they should seek assistance.¹

Remote Care May Ease Access Challenges for Patients With Long-Term Conditions

Remote care may improve some of the burdens associated with in-person visits for managing care, whether they are synchronous or asynchronous. These 2 patient modalities offer reasonable solutions to bridge the gap in access to care. Synchronous visits, whether via video or telephone, mimic in-person consultations where patients and providers can engage in real time. Asynchronous communication addresses gaps in patient care to answer written patient questions and share information with their provider at any time without having to wait for availability.

In this study, researchers surveyed 1995 patients 18 years or older with any LTC from the Community of Patients for Research e-cohort in France. The survey assessed the availability of 3 modalities to patients: video consultation, telephone contact, and asynchronous message exchange (AME).

Additionally, patient preference between an in-person and remote consultation using 1 of the 3 modalities was assessed based on 1 of 5 randomly assigned scenarios. These included statements referencing whether the patient was experiencing worsening symptoms or if they had to renew a prescription.

Lastly, the survey measures a patient’s willingness to trade an in-person consultation in 20 days with their referring physician for an earlier direct-to-consumer (DTC) remote consultation with a nonreferring physician.

The mean age of patients included in the final analysis was 55 years; 56% were female and 69% had multiple morbidities. The most reported conditions were rheumatologic diseases (31%), followed by high blood pressure (30%) and mental health disorders (27%).

The mean travel time between a patient’s home and the start of their in-person consultation was 1 hour or more for 37% of patients.

Video consultations were available to 28% of patients, telephone contacts to 11% of patients, and AMEs to 32% of patients. However, for 47% of patients, all 3 of these modalities were unavailable for use with their referring physician.

Patients Preferred Remote Visits Most for Routine Needs Like Results and Renewals

A remote modality was preferred by 37% of patients across the 5 situations in the survey. Synchronous mediums were also preferred over AMEs for all 5 situations (eg, 33% vs 22% for medication renewal; 30% vs 6% for worsening symptoms).

The preference for remote care was higher specifically for discussing patient results and medication renewals (43% and 55%, respectively) compared with worsening symptoms, new symptoms, and annual check-ups (36%, 25%, and 26%, respectively).

However, when assessed on their willingness to trade an in-person consult for an earlier DTC remote consult, 51% said they were likely to do so if the appointment was for worsening or new symptoms.

Speed vs Continuity: Remote Convenience May Come With Trade-Offs

“This choice resulted in a loss of continuity of care since the physician providing care was not the referring physician and lacked access to the medical record,” the study authors wrote. “This willingness to trade continuity for speed may put patients at risk, as continuity of care is associated with better health outcomes.”

The study’s findings may be limited because the sample reflected the general views of patients with LTCs rather than those currently using remote care. Participants were volunteers with internet access and higher digital literacy, meaning the results may not fully represent the broader LTC population despite weighting adjustments. Additionally, the relatively low response rate raises the possibility of selection bias.

“Further research on blended care should investigate how to effectively integrate remote care into the health care system in ways that maintain patient-centered care and improve patient outcomes,” the study authors concluded.

References:

1. Lenfant T, Perrodeau E, Ravaud P, Tran V. Patient preferences for in-person vs remote care for long-term conditions. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(2):e2557759. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.57759

2. McCrear S, Fathi A. Community collaboration key to inclusive clinical trial design: Amir Fathi, MD. AJMC^®. February 10, 2026. Accessed February 10, 2026. https://www.ajmc.com/view/community-collaboration-key-to-inclusive-clinical-trial-design-amir-fathi-md