ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2025
Paramedic or GP consultations in primary care: prospective study comparing costs and outcomes.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis 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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Patient-reported experiences and patient-reported experience measures in primary care, home care, and community settings. A scoping review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Factors influencing confidence and trust in health professionals: a cross-sectional study of English general practices.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
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
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGeneral practice faces pressures because of increased demand and a shortage of GPs. Paramedics in general practice (PGPs) increasingly contribute to managing minor illnesses, conducting home visits, and providing urgent consultations.
aimTo explore the impact of paramedic consultations on patient-reported experience, safe management, and NHS costs. DESIGN AND
settingProspective cohort study comparing PGP with GP consultations at 34 GP sites in England.
methodEligible participants had a consultation with a PGP (25 PGP sites) or GP (nine non-PGP sites) between May 2022 and February 2023. Questionnaires were provided after the initial consultation and 30 days later. Questionnaires assessed patient experience, outcomes, and perceived safety (PCOQ and PREOS PC), quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), and healthcare use.
resultsOf 715 participants recruited, 489 completed the 30-day questionnaire. No evidence was found that PGP consultations resulted in greater improvement/deterioration in patient-reported health and wellbeing (-0.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -0.09 to 0.04); confidence in health provision (-0.05, 95% CI = -0.15 to 0.05); health knowledge (0.05, 95% CI = -0.04 to 0.15); or confidence in the health plan (-0.06, 95% CI = -0.11 to -0.01) over the 30-day period. However, the PGP group reported lower confidence in health provision (mean 4.0 versus 4.5;
conclusionWell-designed training and supervision are needed to ensure PGPs have the right knowledge and can clearly convey healthcare plans to patients. While PGPs may reduce GP workload pressure, they do not necessarily reduce NHS costs.
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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.