Teleconsultation in Primary Health Care for Non-communicable Disease Management in Low- and Middle-income Countries: A Scoping Review

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are rising rapidly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Teleconsultation, a key component of telemedicine, can strengthen primary health care by improving continuity of care and linking patients with specialists. This review is an attempt to map the existing evidence on teleconsultation for NCD management in LMIC primary healthcare settings. Authors conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed studies on teleconsultation interventions for NCD care in LMICs. The manuscript was prepared in accordance with the PRISMA- ScR guidelines. Four studies from Niger ( n = 1), Pakistan ( n = 1) and India ( n = 2) met the inclusion criteria. Most targeted diabetes, hypertension or endocrine disorders, with no evidence on respiratory disease, cancer survivorship or mental health. Reported benefits included better disease control, improved access, high patient satisfaction and reduced travel and costs. Barriers included poor connectivity, low digital literacy, limited diagnostic integration and weak care continuity. It was concluded that Teleconsultation shows promise for improving NCD management in LMIC primary care, but limited evidence, system-level gaps and patient-level barriers must be addressed to ensure its effectiveness, acceptability and scalability.