Patients at risk from virtual GP appointments

GP appointments over the phone or online risk harming patients, a new study published in the BMJ has found.

An analysis of remote NHS doctor consultations between 2020 and 2023 found that “deaths and serious harms” had occurred because of wrong or missed diagnoses and delayed referrals.

Distracted receptionists were also found to be responsible for deaths after they failed to call patients back.

The report, led by the University of Oxford, suggested doctors should stop giving phone appointments to the elderly, people who are deaf, or technophobes.

As many as a third of GP appointments are now virtual after face-to-face appointments slumped to less than half during the pandemic.

Restoring access to face-to-face appointments has been a priority of multiple health secretaries, with Steve Barclay last year promising to name and shame GPs who did not see patients in person.

Patient groups said the study was likely to be “just the tip of the iceberg” given the “potential for tragic misdiagnoses because of the limitations of online or telephone consultations”.

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Source: The Telegraph, 29 November 2023