ArticleBMJ open2018
Qualitative study of patient views on a 'telephone-first' approach in general practice in England: speaking to the GP by telephone before making face-to-face appointments.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 3 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
19 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled 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 remote care approaches on continuity in primary care: a mixed-studies systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2023Pooled it
- Applications of human factors approaches and methods to the development of teleconsultations in primary care: a systematic scoping review.BMJ open quality · 2025Article
- Uses of Virtual Care in Primary Care: Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- Use of Remote Consultations by Chiropractors in the United Kingdom During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey.Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2025Article
- Telehealth for primary healthcare delivery in rural and remote contexts in high-income countries-a scoping review.mHealth · 2025Review
- Access systems in general practice: a systematic scoping review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Understanding access to general practice through the lens of candidacy: a critical review of the literature.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Review
- Predictive value of monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ratio (MHR) for poor prognosis after intravenous thrombolytic therapy for acute ischaemic stroke.Archives of medical science : AMS · 2024Article
- Telephone consultations in the COVID-19 era versus pre-COVID face-to-face consultations: a survey of dermatology patient perceptions.Archives of dermatological research · 2023Article
- Differences in Perception of Healthcare Management between Patients and Professionals.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Everybody hurts sometimes: perceptions of benefits and barriers in telemedical consultations.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Digital Health Opportunities to Improve Primary Health Care in the Context of COVID-19: Scoping Review.JMIR human factors · 2022Article
- A mixed-methods study describing behavioral factors that influenced general practitioners' experiences using triage during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC family practice · 2021Article
- Public perception of NHS general practice during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic in England.F1000Research · 2021Article
- Acute Gastroenteritis: A Qualitative Study of Parental Motivations, Expectations, and Experiences During Out-of-Hours Primary Care.Annals of family medicineArticle
- Review
- How Remote Interventions Can Reduce the Impact of Disease-Related Malnutrition for Community Patients With Long-Term Conditions.Journal of primary care & community healthArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo understand patients' views on a 'telephone-first' approach, in which all appointment requests in general practice are followed by a telephone call from the general practitioner (GP).
designQualitative interviews with patients and carers.
settingTwelve general practices in England.
participants43 patients, including 30 women, nine aged over 75 years, four parents of young children, five carers, five patients with hearing impairment and two whose first language was not English.
resultsPatients expressed varied views, often strongly held, ranging from enthusiasm for to hostility towards the 'telephone-first' approach. The new system suited some patients, avoiding the need to come into the surgery but was problematic for others, for example, when it was difficult for someone working in an open plan office to take a call-back. A substantial proportion of negative comments were about the operation of the scheme itself rather than the principles behind it, for example, difficulty getting through on the phone or being unable to schedule when the GP would phone back. Some practices were able to operate the scheme in a way that met their patients' needs better than others and practices varied significantly in how they had implemented the approach.
conclusionsThe 'telephone-first' approach appears to work well for some patients, but others find it much less acceptable. Some of the reported problems related to how the approach had been implemented rather than the 'telephone-first' approach in principle and suggests there may be potential for some of the challenges experienced by patients to be overcome.
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