Role of Patient-Reported Measures (PRMs) in Addressing Ethical Challenges During Telemedicine Consultation: A Narrative Review

Introduction: Telemedicine has revolutionized medical care delivery by emphasizing on Patient-Centred Care (PCC). Patient Reported Measures (PRMs) can assist in providing PCC since it assesses the treatment outcomes and patient experience. However, using PRMs is not just limited to gauging clinical efficiency; it can also play a role in addressing the ethical challenges in telemedicine. Yet this aspect of PRMs remains underexplored. Method: Literature search was conducted using a combination of keywords from the Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science databases. 126 peer-reviewed journal articles in English from 2015 to 2024 were screened, and 34 relevant full-text studies were reviewed. Discussion: While telemedicine provides access to healthcare beyond the physical boundaries of traditional facilities, ethical issues like privacy, data security, and informed consent still exist. PRMs can help address these challenges, thereby improving PCC. This can help to make telemedicine consultations more ethical and equitable. Conclusion: This article emphasizes how PRMs can facilitate ethical telemedicine by providing informed consent, safeguarding data privacy, and ensuring equitable patient participation. The suggested conceptual framework applies PRMs at every phase of the teleconsultation process, ensuring a systematic route toward the facilitation of ethical standards and PCC in e-health.