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The doctor will (not) see you now…
DJS Research’s lead on Healthcare Research and Head of International, Charlotte Sykes had been mulling over a trend she and her team thought they were observing through their work over recent years. From the many thousands of interactions they have with clinicians and patients each year (7,929 in 2023 to be exact!), they were observing what looked like an emerging difference in how primary care is delivered across the European continent.
They had a hunch, and decided to investigate further. Read on to find out how Charlotte and her team set about exploring a matter that may well be important for every single one of us, at some time or other, here in the UK…
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Article by Charlotte Sykes, Research Director
During the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic and throughout 2020, across EU5 countries, significant changes in the way patients accessed primary care were observed – from the Zoom consultation, to the car park swab – practitioners did what they could to deliver care safely.
But now, 4 years on from the advent of the pandemic, what does the ‘new normal’ GP consultation look like across the European continent?
To uncover this, our team ran a series of polls collecting data to investigate the proportion of GP consultations held in-person versus other means in UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain [i].
A quick poll of GPs in each of the countries, suggests that the U.K. has on average the lowest proportion of in-person GP appointments of EU5. Up to 25% of consultations in the UK are held remotely with patients, versus say, just 6% in France or 8% in Germany.
Figure 1: Proportion of GP consultations held in-person across Europe
In conjunction with this, we also ran a poll of 1,120 U.K. patients [ii] which revealed an average of 58% of consultations were attended in-person, and more than a third were conducted via telephone.
Figure 2: Proportion of UK GP consultations attended via different means
At a glance, the two polls appear to support our hypothesis that UK patients are less likely to see a GP in-person than in other countries in Europe.
So, why is this and what might be the impacts over time?
There has been much said about the operational advantages of a remote primary care system and they are easy to understand. Remote appointments help with workflow - they provide a triage system allowing much of the more routine work (e.g., repeat prescriptions) to be conducted efficiently, whilst leaving more time to see those in need of physical examination in person. A GP working in the North West commented:
‘The reality is, we don’t have time to see everyone and at least this way, I can spend time with those who I do really need to see.’
And some patients approve too:
‘Honestly for me, it is easier to just call the practice and get a prescription over the phone. I don’t have the time to go in.’ – Female patient, 39.
On the other hand, a conversation with a patient in their mid-70s from Wales gave a different view:
‘I had something wrong with my foot. I was asked to take a photo and upload it to a portal but that was pretty complicated for me to be honest, and I really just wanted to see someone.’
68% of GPs we polled in the UK declared that they expect the proportion of consultations they conduct via telephone or video to increase in the next 3-5 years, so the trend for remote primary care in the UK looks set to remain and grow.
From our vast and varied experience in the Healthcare sector, our team know that primary care is absolutely vital; it is the doorway to care.
It is where patients are signposted to support and referred to diagnostic services. Most critically, it is where trust is generated - the trust that encourages patients to report symptoms, to seek help and advice, and ultimately accept the care and treatments they may need.
So, the question would seem to be, can trust in doctors be generated in the same way via telephone calls and portals as it can in person?
And will we be able to add clinical outcomes to the list of benefits of remote primary care?
One thing’s for sure – our team will be monitoring this closely!
[i] Sample of 143 Primary Care Physicians collected via SHG Global on 19th March 2024.
[ii] Sample of 1,120 patients in the UK aged 18 and over collected via DJS Research’s proprietary panel, Opex, on 5th April 2024
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