Digital GP consultations – what are the dangers? | Medical Negligence and Private Harm Weblog | Kingsley Napley

GP consultations undertaken remotely – both on-line or by telephone – might result in critical hurt and even dying, a latest examine by a crew together with researchers from the College of Oxford and revealed within the BMJ High quality and Security Journal has discovered. In response to the report a distant session has the next diploma of inherent uncertainty. It’s because a medical evaluation with out a bodily examination offers much less info.

Distant GP consultations grew to become commonplace in the course of the pandemic and there have been reviews that as many as one third of all GP appointments at the moment are performed ‘nearly’. This follow is one thing that I’m changing into more and more conscious of in my work as a medical negligence solicitor. Certainly, the Oxford College examine factors out that issues have been raised in regards to the security of this follow, together with the potential for missed cancers and avoidable deaths.

The examine discovered that issues included missed, inaccurate or delayed diagnoses, underestimating the severity or urgency of a affected person’s situation and delayed referrals. It cited plenty of situations the place the affected person died, together with the case of a 16-year-old woman who was identified with glandular fever over the phone by a GP however who died from sepsis shortly thereafter.

Distracted reception workers

The examine additionally highlighted the case of a breathless aged girl who spoke with a GP receptionist on the phone and was instructed that she could be placed on a callback listing. Nonetheless, the receptionist failed to do that, having been distracted by one other affected person within the ready room. The girl died that afternoon. The examine famous that a number of incidents have been linked to a busy workers member changing into distracted.  This side of the examine reinforces the views of many who the controversial Darnley v. Croydon Well being Providers NHS Belief determination was in actual fact logical and proper – and {that a} obligation of care ought to be imposed on administrative help workers to offer correct info.

Tougher to get the true image

The significance of face-to-face consultations to be able to collect enough info and make medical assessments is clearly evident. With digital consultations it may be troublesome to totally assess somebody’s total well being and wellbeing in addition to their stage of agitation, normal manner and socio-economic circumstances. In response to the Oxford College examine some security incidents prompt ‘perfunctory and transactional’ phone consultations, with flawed choices made primarily based on incomplete info. Incidents have been discovered to have occurred on account of clinicians assuming {that a} analysis made on a distant session was definitive moderately than provisional.

As a medical negligence lawyer, I’m conscious about the numerous significance of full assessments and clear communication between physician and affected person in avoiding affected person security incidents and poor affected person outcomes.

The Authorities has confirmed that it desires extra sufferers to be seen face-to-face and earlier this 12 months a brand new plan was launched to ‘make it simpler for sufferers to see their GP‘ by utilising the most recent advances in telephones and on-line programs. Nonetheless, the Shadow Well being Secretary Wes Streeting was reported by Sky Information on the time as saying that nothing throughout the new plan would ‘permit sufferers to decide on a face-to-face appointment’.                                                       

How we will help

The crew at Kingsley Napley are very skilled in bringing claims for medical negligence the place a affected person has been harmed on account of issues with GP care, together with the place there have been points with the actions of reception or nursing workers.  If you need to talk to us to us for a no obligation dialogue then you possibly can contact us here.

FURTHER INFORMATION

When you have any questions, please contact James Bell in our Medical Negligence and Private Harm crew. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Bell is the top of our Medical Negligence and Private Harm follow and joined the agency in 2023 from Hodge, Jones & Allen. He has undertaken medical negligence circumstances for over 20 years.