The recent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in remote consultations in general practice. The increased use of remote consultations has been necessitated by this international emergency, with vital safety considerations requiring substantial reductions in face-to-face contact between patients and healthcare professionals. Previously it was estimated that up to 50% of UK consultations could be conducted remotely by 2030, but it is very likely these levels of remote consulting have been significantly exceeded in response to COVID-19.5 In response to COVID-19 health professionals are now routinely having to navigate, often for the first time, the challenges of remote consulting. Safety and ethical considerations remain, including patients left behind by technology (digital exclusion), and the risks of missing clinical signs in remote consultations. The GMC has stated, ‘many doctors are being asked to make sudden and unexpected changes to adapt to remote working for everyone’s safety during the pandemic. We understand this may be daunting and it may take you time to adjust … we recognise that doctors may need to depart from this [GMC provided] advice and apply their professional judgement to make best use of the resources available to them.’15 The huge and rapidly executed move towards remote consulting, made necessary by an unprecedented public health emergency, is likely to result in sustained change in the health system once the COVID-19 pandemic is over; the need to prepare doctors and patients for this new reality is consequently even more pressing.
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