This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Online GP consultations not a ‘silver bullet’
New research has found that online GP consultation systems may not be the silver bullet for reducing GP workload and patient waiting times that government policymakers are hoping for.
The researchers from the University of Bristol, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, say that online consultations ‘offer the potential to revolutionise use of primary care’ but finds that the use of effectiveness of the technology is limited.
Published in both the BMJ Open and BJCP, the study analyses eConsult, an online system, piloted across 36 GP practices in theSouth West of England, whereby patients submit their symptoms to a GP electronically through their practice website, creating an 'e-consultation'.
Studying website usage data and how patients using the system went on to use other care and patient surveys, the research found that patient use of the system was low, with an average of two e-consultations a month for every 1,000 patients.
It also found that the majority of patients value the eConsult system, with clinicians reporting that eConsult worked best for simple and routine enquiries that they could respond to without the need for a face-to-face or telephone follow up. However, 38 per cent of e-consultations resulted in a face-to-face consultation, whilst a further 32 per cent resulted in a telephone call from a GP.
Dr Jeremy Horwood, of NIHR CLAHRC West and University of Bristol's Centre for Academic Primary Care, said: "While our study focused on a particular system in a regional GP consortium, there are lessons here for any GP practice considering moving to an electronic consultation system. There is a central government drive to move to these systems. However, our research shows that they need to be carefully implemented and effectively marketed to yield the benefits that politicians are hoping for. Online consultations may have value for some patients, such as straightforward medical enquiries, but they cannot replace face-to-face consultations in situations which are more complex."
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