Digital Transformation in Healthcare Administration: A Systematic Review of the Impact of Telehealth on Administrative and Secretarial Roles

Abstract

Background: The rapid growth of telehealth has transformed clinical service delivery, but its deep implications for health care's administrative core have gone largely unexamined. Administrative and secretarial staff are essential in the coordination of virtual care, though their role is being reshaped by changing responsibilities, workflow interruptions, and new skill requirements. Aim: The review aims to conduct a systematic inquiry into how telehealth technologies influence the roles, challenges, and competency needs of administrative and secretarial staff in healthcare. Methods: A systematic search was carried out through PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Business Source Complete, and Web of Science for literature within the period of 2013-2025. Included were qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies that were analyzed using narrative synthesis. Results: With telehealth integration, the transformed administrative role encompasses much more complex digital care coordination, patient technology education, and virtual clinic management than traditional scheduling and filing. The integration of telehealth introduced such issues as new digital literacy demands on administration, fragmentation of workflows, and new responsibilities for patient education. Importantly, the "digital front door" to healthcare placed administrative staff at a critical position in the facilitation of equitable access and simultaneously exposed them to new stressors. Conclusion: The administration of healthcare has been irrevocably altered by telehealth, making the roles more complex but also possibly more rewarding. Strategic investments in training, workflow redesign, and supportive technologies will be required to harness the full potential of administrative professionals in the digital health era.

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