Table 3.
Reasons for e-consultations and practice responses (from patient-level data)
| % of e-consultations from total of n=485 (n) | |
| Reason for consulting | |
| Musculoskeletal/limb pain | 12.4 (60) |
| Infection/Immunological | 14.4 (70) |
| Neurological | 5.4 (26) |
| Sexual/reproductive health | 8.5 (41) |
| Dermatological | 6.8 (33) |
| Respiratory | 5.1 (25) |
| Mental health | 5.9 (29) |
| Digestive | 3.9 (19) |
| Medication query/advice | 3.9 (19) |
| Administrative* | 22.5 (109) |
| Other/Unclear | 11.1 (54) |
| Did patient consult about the same issue in the last 6 months | |
| Yes | 30.1 (146) |
| No | 68.5 (332) |
| Response time | |
| Same day | 20.21 (98) |
| 1–2 days | 44.95 (218) |
| 3–6 days | 19.18 (93) |
| 7–13 days | 7.6 (37) |
| >14 days (max 20 days) | 4.7 (23) |
| Primary response action | |
| Admit to hospital | 0 |
| F2F consultation | 38.1 (185) |
| Telephone consultation | 32.1 (156) |
| Prescription | 7.2 (35) |
| Fit note | 3.1 (15) |
| Test/treatment | 1.6 (8) |
| Refer routine | 1.6 (8) |
| Refer urgent/2-week wait | 0 |
| Advice | 9.1 (44) |
| Other | 3.3 (16) |
| Unknown | 3.1 (15) |
| Secondary response action | |
| Admit to hospital | 0 |
| F2F consultation | 0.2 (1) |
| Telephone consultation | 2.5 (12) |
| Prescription | 22.5 (109) |
| Fit note | 2.7 (13) |
| Test/treatment | 8.6 (42) |
| Refer routine | 7.2 (35) |
| Refer urgent/2-week wait | 1.6 (8) |
| Advice | 12.8 (62) |
| Other | 10.7 (52) |
| Unknown | 0.2 (1) |
| Follow-up consultations in the 30-day period after the initial action | |
| F2F | 19.5 (94) |
| Telephone | 5.6 (27) |
| Other | 0.6 (3) |
| Unknown | 0.2 (1) |
| Not applicable (ie, no follow-up consultation) | 74.2 (360) |
F2F, face-to-face.
* e.g. fit notes, repeat prescriptions, test results, referrals, and requests to book appointments