ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2018
Alternatives to the face-to-face consultation in general practice: focused ethnographic case study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 64 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
64 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- General practitioners' experience about synchronous teleconsultation in primary care: a mixed-method systematic review.BMC primary care · 2025Pooled it
- Patients' perspective about synchronous teleconsultation with a general practitioner: a mixed-method systematic literature review.BMC primary care · 2025Pooled it
- What patients want from access to UK general practice: systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of eHealth use on general practice workload in the pre-COVID-19 era: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2024Pooled it
- Understanding How the Design and Implementation of Online Consultations Affect Primary Care Quality: Systematic Review of Evidence With Recommendations for Designers, Providers, and Researchers.Journal of medical Internet research · 2022Pooled it
- Patient Satisfaction with Telemedicine during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Digital Health Engagement Behaviors in US Family Caregivers: Trend Analysis Using the Health Information National Trends Survey 2019-2022 Data.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Article
- Adherence to Remote Prescribing Principles by Medical and Non-Medical Prescribers; a Scoping Review.Journal of advanced nursing · 2026Article
- Older Chinese migrants' experiences of remote primary care in England: a semi-structured interview study.BJGP open · 2026Article
- Access to general practice appointments and sustainable change: a focused ethnographic case study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Digital first primary care in NHS England: evaluating alignment with patient-centered care and implications for future practice.Frontiers in digital health · 2026Review
- Exploring two-step and one-step urgent care telephone triage: a UK-based semi-structured interview study.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Bugbears in the Waiting Room: Revisiting Arber and Sawyer's Classic Study of GP Reception Work Using Ethnography in Eight English General Practices.Sociology of health & illness · 2025Article
- Evolution of the general practice receptionist role and online services: a qualitative study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025Article
- Changes in heart failure healthcare in general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey.BJGP open · 2025Article
- The obscured face in video consultations. A Levinasian analysis.Medicine, health care, and philosophy · 2025Article
- Applications of human factors approaches and methods to the development of teleconsultations in primary care: a systematic scoping review.BMJ open quality · 2025Article
- Hospital doctors' attitudes to the adoption, implementation and utilisation of digital virtual consultations.Journal of public health research · 2025Article
- Investigating Continuance Intention for Telehealth Visits in Children's Hospitals: Survey-Based Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Patient experiences of remote consulting with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis and fibromyalgia: a qualitative study.BJGP open · 2025Article
4 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundNHS policy encourages general practices to introduce alternatives to the face-to-face consultation, such as telephone, email, e-consultation systems, or internet video. Most have been slow to adopt these, citing concerns about workload. This project builds on previous research by focusing on the experiences of patients and practitioners who have used one or more of these alternatives.
aimTo understand how, under what conditions, for which patients, and in what ways, alternatives to face-to-face consultations present benefits and challenges to patients and practitioners in general practice. DESIGN AND
settingFocused ethnographic case studies took place in eight UK general practices between June 2015 and March 2016.
methodNon-participant observation, informal conversations with staff, and semi-structured interviews with staff and patients were conducted. Practice documents and protocols were reviewed. Data were analysed through charting and the 'one sheet of paper' mind-map method to identify the line of argument in each thematic report.
resultsCase study practices had different rationales for offering alternatives to the face-to-face consultation. Beliefs varied about which patients and health issues were suitable. Co-workers were often unaware of each other's practice; for example, practice policies for use of e-consultations systems with patients were not known about or followed. Patients reported benefits including convenience and access. Staff and some patients regarded the face-to-face consultation as the ideal.
conclusionExperience of implementing alternatives to the face-to-face consultation suggests that changes in patient access and staff workload may be both modest and gradual. Practices planning to implement them should consider carefully their reasons for doing so and involve the whole practice team.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.