Nine in 10 doctors say consultations over the phone are bad for patients

More than nine in ten doctors agree that remote consultations are worse for patients than seeing them face to face, a damning study has revealed.

Clinicians blasted the shift to phone and video appointments as ‘disastrous’ – with 93 per cent saying that they increased the risk of misdiagnosis.

And they added that remote appointments were ‘worsening’ existing health inequalities – particularly for the elderly, poor and disabled.

By contrast, only 3 per cent of doctors backed the move, said researchers from Cambridge University.

experts evaluated the NHS’s rapid move towards ‘telemedicine’ during

‘Perfect for some, a disaster for others’

the pandemic. researchers surveyed 1,340 rheumatology patients and more than 100 clinicians, including GPs, between April and July this year.

Around one third of the patients had inflammatory arthritis and another third had autoimmune disease lupus.

The study found that a lack of examinations and tests in person meant misdiagnoses were ‘frequently reported’.

Doctors’ ability to build a ‘trusting relationship’ with patients was also being damaged and patients felt online appointments were ‘perfunctory’ – although 60 per cent found them more convenient.

The study follows calls for a return to face-to-face appointments as the default option, with campaigners highlighting how the shift to remote consultations is having devastating consequences for patients.

Currently, just 61 per cent of

GP consultations are in person – down from 80 per cent before the pandemic.

Today’s report highlights the fears of many doctors over the pressure to shift to remote consultations after NHS chiefs said one in four appointments should be by phone or video.

one senior doctor was said to summarise the ‘overall feelings of many’, stating telemedicine ‘is perfect for some but disastrous for others’.

Lead author Melanie Sloan, from the Primary Care Unit at the University of Cambridge, said: ‘As the NHS develops a telemedicine strategy, we hope there will be a thorough assessment of the clinical and psychological risks and steps taken to mitigate those.’

She also called for action to address ‘health inequalities’ among patients, such as those who can’t speak english, who were ‘less likely to benefit’ from telemedicine.

Co-author Professor Caroline Gordon, from the University of Birmingham, said: ‘Some stable rheumatic disease patients can benefit from telemedicine. But new patients, those with worsening symptoms or more complex conditions such as lupus, need quickly accessible, faceto-face appointments.’

Many patients reported having ‘great difficulties’ in getting through to their GP, according to the study published in the journal rheumatology

one said: ‘I was diagnosed with something over the phone, which I know isn’t right, and it’s getting worse.’

The report is likely to pile pressure on the Government and NHS chiefs, who unveiled measures to tackle the problem last month.