Virtual GP and other primary care consultations can be as effective as face-to-face appointments for a number of health conditions, according to research from Imperial College London published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

 

The study found health outcomes for patients who saw doctors remotely at least matched those for in-person care for mental illness, alcohol misuse, weight management and advice on quitting smoking. 

 

The findings were based on a review of previous research involving more than 5.4 million patients in countries across the world. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health Research. 

 

Efforts to minimise the transmission of Covid-19 from 2020 led to a rapid increases in the use of virtual rather than in-person primary care consultations - to around 70% of the total in the UK and 65% in the US. 

 

Video- and phone-based appointments were already on the rise before the pandemic. Some see them as a way to improve efficiency and access to care. Others, however, have raised a variety of concerns including around confidentiality, data security, the accuracy of diagnosis, patient safety and the potential to widen inequalities for those with limited access to technology or the skills to use it. 

 

Lead study author Dr Ana Luisa Neves, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, says: “Covid-19 caused a huge and rapid expansion in the use of virtual consultations in primary care. As part of an emergency response, it wasn’t possible to properly consider the impacts at the time”. 

 

"Now, it is really important that we better understand what this immense change means, especially for patient outcomes, safety and equity. Based on the evidence we analysed, it seems that remote care is equally beneficial on health outcomes for certain conditions including mental health, alcohol misuse and smoking cessation. For these conditions, evidence shows patients can get the same effectiveness of care as they would in face-to-face appointments.”