Comparing the Quality of Video and Phone Consultations in Primary Care Telemedicine: A Cross-sectional Study of Over 180,000 Appointments

Background Telemedicine has gained prominence in primary care, but evidence comparing its modalities is scarce. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 184,308 video and phone consultations from a telemedicine platform in Portugal, comparing quality indicators based on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) domains. Results Video consultations were associated with lower recurrence rates, higher patient-reported helpfulness (95.4% vs. 92.3%), and greater satisfaction. Time to appointment was shorter for phone consultations, but video had a longer duration and higher resolution rates. Conclusions Our findings suggest that video consultations offer higher perceived quality and lower reaccess rates in primary care telemedicine. These insights can inform digital health strategies in primary care settings.