A national survey in Poland found that adults who reported saving time, or expecting to save time, by using a telephone primary-care consultation were more likely to report having used one. After adjustment for other measured factors, the model reported odds ratios, a way of comparing use between groups. The odds were 3.03 times as high for people reporting less than one hour of savings, 3.91 times as high for one to two hours, and 4.41 times as high for three hours or more, compared with people reporting no savings. All three associations had p-values below 0.01.
The finding emerged only after fuller statistical adjustment. Among 789 complete cases in Models 1 to 4, none of the time-savings categories reached statistical significance. In the first model, the odds ratios were 0.84 for less than one hour, 1.50 for one to two hours and 1.18 for three hours or more, and the associations remained non-significant through Model 4. That contrast is a reminder that the reported association was specification-dependent, rather than a fixed finding that appeared in every analysis.
The clearest gap was between no savings and any savings
Model 5 also gives a more readable picture through predicted probabilities. The estimated probability of telephone-consultation use was 26.3% among people reporting no savings, 46.4% among those reporting less than one hour, 51.3% among those reporting one to two hours, and 53.6% among those reporting three hours or more. The largest absolute difference was between no reported savings and any reported savings. Approximate 95% confidence intervals ranged from 14.5% to 38.1% for no savings, 41.1% to 51.7% for less than one hour, 46.4% to 56.2% for one to two hours, and 42.2% to 65% for three hours or more.
The same model found other associations. Poor self-rated health was linked with higher odds of use than very good health, with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.21. Average and poor household financial situations were linked with lower odds than very good finances, with odds ratios of 0.38 and 0.22. The health association had a p-value below 0.05, while both financial associations had p-values below 0.01.
What the survey measured
Researchers conducted a national cross-sectional survey of adults aged 18 or older in Poland between November 2025 and January 2026, using stratified random sampling. The target net sample was at least 1,000 people, and 1,004 respondents completed the survey. The analysis-eligible group contained 798 respondents: 744 who reported primary-care contact and 54 who reported needing primary care without contact during the previous 12 months.
The outcome was self-reported use of a telephone consultation with a primary-care physician during the previous 12 months. Reported or anticipated time savings were placed into four categories: no savings, less than one hour, one to two hours, or three hours or more. The measure used broad categories and combined time savings people had experienced with savings they expected.
Why the result remains uncertain
A same-sample sensitivity check used 736 complete cases and produced lower odds ratios of 1.84, 2.91 and 2.51 for the three savings categories. The last two categories became statistically significant, while the evidence for less than one hour was weaker. The authors concluded that sample restriction contributed to the change seen in Model 5, but did not fully explain it.
Because the survey was cross-sectional, it cannot establish whether perceived savings came before telephone-consultation use or followed it. Reverse causation and common-method bias were possible. The time-savings measure was also a study-specific single item, and the findings concern telephone consultations only; they should not be generalized to video or asynchronous care.
The authors present the findings as relevant to further equity-focused and community-informed evaluation, especially given the lower reported use associated with less favorable household finances. They also stress that the design and the model-dependent results do not support a causal conclusion. The study received financial support through the FLASH project, funded by Horizon Europe under grant agreement No. 101095424.
Paper data and sources
Original title: Reported time savings and telephone consultation use in polish primary care: a national random sample survey
Authors: Olearczyk A, Byszek-Stevens K, Zwierzchowski J et al.
Journal/Repository: Frontiers in public health
Status: Peer-reviewed
First online: 2026-10-10
DOI: Not available
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