GP consultations by video link could reduce the need for in-person visits, although a pilot study has found that they are not suitable for everyone.
Doctors said face-to-face visits were appropriate when they were delivering bad news or discussing serious health issues, and patients also preferred seeing their doctor in person when discussing personal issues.
The study showed that people with long-term health problems were most likely to benefit, as they required frequent check-ups but did not necessarily need a physical examination every time.
Working people also reported advantages as the technology can save time spent travelling to and from appointments.
Remote healthcare has been explored in rural parts of Scotland, along with using the technology in education and research scenarios.
This trial was carried out with 45 patients and six GP practices in Edinburgh and the Lothians, and utilised a web-based programme called Attend Anywhere, which is similar to the video-conferencing program Skype.
Patients were sent an email with a link to take them to a virtual waiting room at the time of their appointment.
The research looked at the duration and content in each of the video consultations.
It was led by the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with the universities of Exeter and Warwick.
Researchers also carried out phone interviews with around half of the patients who had taken part in the video consultations to gauge their views, as well as speaking to all the doctors and nurses who had taken part in the study.
Doctors reported advantages over telephone consultations as video allowed them to pick up on visual cues – such as body language and facial expressions – which they said could help inform an assessment.
However, in some cases they said seeing a patient in person remained preferable.
The video links were favoured by younger patients, who were more familiar with web-based communications.
Video consultations were said to be similar to phone consultations with regard to their duration and content, but they were shorter and less detailed than a face-to-face appointments.
Some people who suffered from mobility or mental health problems found the video consultation to be particularly helpful.
However, technical problems were common during the trial and researchers said improvements in infrastructure were needed so that video consultations could be seamlessly integrated with GP practice appointment systems.
The research, which is published in the British Journal of General Practice, was funded by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office.
Professor Brian McKinstry, of the University of Edinburgh’s Usher Institute, said the initiative showed potential.
He said: “Our study showed that there is real potential for video-consulting particularly for conditions where a visual examination can be helpful, for example when assessing people who have problems with anxiety and depression and have difficulty getting to their general practice”
His colleague from Warwick Medical School, Dr Helen Atherton, added: “Video consultations were superior to a telephone consultation, providing visual cues and building rapport.
“However, it is clear that to get the most out of this type of consultation there are infrastructure hurdles yet to be overcome.”
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