GP appointments over the phone or online can ‘put patients at risk’

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By Jane Kirby, PA Health Editor

GP appointments over the phone or online can miss serious illnesses and put patients at risk, according to a new study.

Researchers said mistakes via remote consultation are rare, but there is a risk of patients being under-diagnosed, GPs being swayed by what has been said previously, and less qualified staff not acting on signs of illness.

The study, published in BMJ Quality and Safety, looked at data from 95 UK safety incidents between 2020 and 2023 (including from during the pandemic), such as complaints, settled compensation claims and reports. Interviews with practice staff were also included.

Some of the errors made related to serious conditions such as congenital heart disease, pulmonary oedema, sepsis, cancer and diabetic foot complications “which would likely have been readily diagnosed with an in-person examination”, the study said.

It added: “Several safety incidents involved clinicians assuming that a diagnosis made on a remote consultation was definitive rather than provisional.