Virtual consultations in general practice: embracing innovation, carefully.

Abstract

The use of virtual consultations in general practice is perhaps simply another component in the ongoing modernisation of health care. GPs have used telephone consultations for over a century so upgrading the medium may be seen as a logical extension of this. However, aside from this natural progression, there exists an altogether stronger force expediting the rate of adoption: the evolving healthcare user. There is growing dissatisfaction with existing services on account of increased waiting times and shorter consultations. In 2016, patients were required to wait almost 2 weeks for a routine GP appointment, a 30% increase on the previous year, and a figure that is expected to rise to 17 days this year.1 Likewise, GP consultations in the UK are far shorter than many other countries in the developed world, with 92% of consultations lasting less than 15 minutes.2 This immense pressure on GP services and the resultant patient frustration, in …