Table 3.

Extracts from electronic field notes

Ethnographer 1

I noticed that sometimes the GP used a strange accent which was more obvious when he spoke to some-one from overseas in both face to face consultations and (but less so) telephone consultations! I wondered how much of a researcher effect I was observing

Ethnographer 2

A lady comes in in her 50s saying that she just saw the message on the waiting room screens about the possibility of having telephone consultations and that if she had known before she would have used it. She tried once to speak to the GP for two minutes about her husband’s medication since he was given the wrong prescription and she could not speak to the GP. Her husband had to physically come to speak to the GP about it and she felt that if done over the phone it would have saved him the trouble of coming in. She complained as nobody offered the option to do so. Receptionist tells her that it was the fault of the staff for not offering her the option but that she would still need to book an appointment slot for consultation.

Ethnographer 3

I observe the GP during a telephone clinic. She made 15 calls, asked 5 patients to come to the practice, all came. Calls are arranged in 5 min slots. I observe that she roughly follows the list, though she decides to phone back 2nd patient first. She says that she knows this patient.