Use of a pharmacy-based GP video consultation service: a mixed methods study

Background: Little is known about private general practice appointment services offered via video. This study aimed to explore which patients are using a video pharmacy-based general practitioner (GP) appointment service, including patterns of use, reasons for using the service, and satisfaction with the service.

Methods: Descriptive statistics and parametric and nonparametric tests were used to conduct a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of routinely collected data on consultations, and postconsultation questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with patients and GPs.

Results: A total of 7,928 consultations were included in the analysis. More than half of appointments were booked for the same day, with lunchtime appointments being popular. The most common health condition was respiratory conditions, and 9% of consultations were used by patients using the service more than once. At least one prescription was issued in over half of all consultations. Overall, satisfactions of consultations were high.

Conclusions: The characteristics of those patients using the video consultation service match data on who uses online services in general practice. This study shows that some patients are willing to pay to use this private service because they feel it is more convenient, NHS services do not have capacity to see them at the time they need, or they do not have access to regular GP services.