Why do GPs rarely do video consultations? qualitative study in UK general practice.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Greenhalgh, Trisha Ladds, Emma Hughes, Gemma Moore, Lucy Wherton, Joseph Shaw, Sara E Papoutsi, Chrysanthi Wieringa, Sietse Rosen, Rebecca Rushforth, Alexander Rybczynska-Bunt, Sarah
Copyright Year	2022
Abstract	BackgroundFewer than 1% of UK general practice consultations occur by video.AimTo explain why video consultations are not more widely used in general practice.Design and settingAnalysis of a sub-sample of data from three mixed-method case studies of remote consultation services in various UK settings from 2019–2021.MethodThe dataset included interviews and focus groups with 121 participants from primary care (33 patients, 55 GPs, 11 other clinicians, nine managers, four support staff, four national policymakers, five technology industry). Data were transcribed, coded thematically, and then analysed using the Planning and Evaluating Remote Consultation Services (PERCS) framework.ResultsWith few exceptions, video consultations were either never adopted or soon abandoned in general practice despite a strong policy push, short-term removal of regulatory and financial barriers, and advances in functionality, dependability, and usability of video technologies (though some products remained ‘fiddly’ and unreliable). The relative advantage of video was perceived as minimal for most of the caseload of general practice, since many presenting problems could be sorted adequately and safely by telephone and in-person assessment was considered necessary for the remainder. Some patients found video appointments convenient, appropriate, and reassuring but others found a therapeutic presence was only achieved in person. Video sometimes added value for out-of-hours and nursing home consultations and statutory functions (for example, death certification).ConclusionEfforts to introduce video consultations in general practice should focus on situations where this modality has a clear relative advantage (for example, strong patient or clinician preference, remote localities, out-of-hours services, nursing homes).
Related Links	https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC8936181&blobtype=pdf
ISSN	09601643
Journal	The British Journal of General Practice [Br J Gen Pract]
Volume Number	72
PubMed Central reference number	PMC8936181
Issue Number	718
PubMed reference number	35256385
e-ISSN	14785242
DOI	10.3399/bjgp.2021.0658
Language	English
Publisher	Royal College of General Practitioners
Publisher Date	2022-04-28
Access Restriction	Open
Rights License	This article is Open Access: CC BY 4.0 licence (http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/). © The Authors
Subject Keyword	PERCS framework primary care qualitative research remote consultation telephone consultations video consultations
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Family Practice