Acceptability, benefits, and challenges of video consulting: a qualitative study in primary care
Acceptability, benefits, and challenges of video consulting: a qualitative study in primary care
Background: people increasingly communicate online, using visual communication mediums such as Skype and FaceTime. Growing demands on primary care services mean that new ways of providing patient care are being considered. Video consultation (VC) over the internet is one such mode.
Aim: to explore patients’ and clinicians’ experiences of VC.
Design and setting: semi-structured interviews in UK primary care.
Method: primary care clinicians were provided with VC equipment. They invited patients requiring a follow-up consultation to an online VC using the Attend Anywhere web-based platform. Participating patients required a smartphone, tablet, or video-enabled computer. Following VCs, semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients (n = 21) and primary care clinicians (n = 13), followed by a thematic analysis.
Results: participants reported positive experiences of VC, and stated that VC was particularly helpful for them as working people and people with mobility or mental health problems. VCs were considered superior to telephone consultations in providing visual cues and reassurance, building rapport, and improving communication. Technical problems, however, were common. Clinicians felt, for routine use, VCs must be more reliable and seamlessly integrated with appointment systems, which would require upgrading of current NHS IT systems.
Conclusion: the visual component of VCs offers distinct advantages over telephone consultations. When integrated with current systems VCs can provide a time-saving alternative to face-to-face consultations when formal physical examination is not required, especially for people who work. Demand for VC services in primary care is likely to rise, but improved technical infrastructure is required to allow VC to become routine. However, for complex or sensitive problems face-to-face consultations remain preferable.
e586-e594
Donaghy, Eddie
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Atherton, Helen
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Hammersley, Victoria
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McNeilly, Hannah
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Bikker, Annemieke
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Robbins, Lucy
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Campbell, John
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McKinstry, Brian
63563c1a-feed-42b7-8288-ebbd1d6b3dad
September 2019
Donaghy, Eddie
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Atherton, Helen
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Hammersley, Victoria
e58ac3a9-e287-49f0-b2bc-4fd3942585e9
McNeilly, Hannah
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Bikker, Annemieke
c0adc13d-aa6e-495f-b616-9ffe34efe4f8
Robbins, Lucy
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Campbell, John
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McKinstry, Brian
63563c1a-feed-42b7-8288-ebbd1d6b3dad
Donaghy, Eddie, Atherton, Helen, Hammersley, Victoria, McNeilly, Hannah, Bikker, Annemieke, Robbins, Lucy, Campbell, John and McKinstry, Brian
(2019)
Acceptability, benefits, and challenges of video consulting: a qualitative study in primary care.
British Journal of General Practice, 69 (686), .
(doi:10.3399/bjgp19X704141).
Abstract
Background: people increasingly communicate online, using visual communication mediums such as Skype and FaceTime. Growing demands on primary care services mean that new ways of providing patient care are being considered. Video consultation (VC) over the internet is one such mode.
Aim: to explore patients’ and clinicians’ experiences of VC.
Design and setting: semi-structured interviews in UK primary care.
Method: primary care clinicians were provided with VC equipment. They invited patients requiring a follow-up consultation to an online VC using the Attend Anywhere web-based platform. Participating patients required a smartphone, tablet, or video-enabled computer. Following VCs, semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients (n = 21) and primary care clinicians (n = 13), followed by a thematic analysis.
Results: participants reported positive experiences of VC, and stated that VC was particularly helpful for them as working people and people with mobility or mental health problems. VCs were considered superior to telephone consultations in providing visual cues and reassurance, building rapport, and improving communication. Technical problems, however, were common. Clinicians felt, for routine use, VCs must be more reliable and seamlessly integrated with appointment systems, which would require upgrading of current NHS IT systems.
Conclusion: the visual component of VCs offers distinct advantages over telephone consultations. When integrated with current systems VCs can provide a time-saving alternative to face-to-face consultations when formal physical examination is not required, especially for people who work. Demand for VC services in primary care is likely to rise, but improved technical infrastructure is required to allow VC to become routine. However, for complex or sensitive problems face-to-face consultations remain preferable.
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Accepted/In Press date: 18 February 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 29 August 2019
Published date: September 2019
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 486557
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/486557
ISSN: 0960-1643
PURE UUID: 6ee6763b-353e-4e5b-9662-46aa4b44a440
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Date deposited: 26 Jan 2024 17:33
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:18
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Contributors
Author:
Eddie Donaghy
Author:
Helen Atherton
Author:
Victoria Hammersley
Author:
Hannah McNeilly
Author:
Annemieke Bikker
Author:
Lucy Robbins
Author:
John Campbell
Author:
Brian McKinstry
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