A recent study from Imperial College London suggests that talking to doctors online, like in virtual GP appointments, works just as well as meeting them in person for various health problems. This includes issues like mental health, drinking too much alcohol, trying to manage weight, and getting help to quit smoking.
The study looked at lots of earlier research involving more than 5.4 million patients from different countries. It found that the results of online appointments were as good as face-to-face visits.
Going virtual
Because of COVID-19, more people started using virtual appointments instead of going to the doctor’s office. In the UK, about 70% of all appointments turned virtual, and in the US, it was about 65%.
Even before the pandemic, talking to doctors through video calls or phones was becoming more popular. Some people think this is a good thing because it can make healthcare faster and easier to get. But others worry about things like privacy, keeping data safe, making accurate diagnoses, keeping patients safe, and making sure everyone can access these technologies, especially those who aren’t familiar with using them.
“COVID-19 caused a huge and rapid expansion in the use of virtual consultations in Primary Care. As part of an emergency response, it wasn’t possible to properly consider the impacts at the time,” the researchers explain.
“Now, it is really important that we better understand what this immense change means, especially for patient outcomes, safety and equity. Based on the evidence we analysed, it seems that remote care is equally beneficial on health outcomes for certain conditions including mental health, alcohol misuse and smoking cessation. For these conditions, evidence shows patients can get the same effectiveness of care as they would in face-to-face appointments.”
Virtual appointments
The researchers looked at 30 studies that compared virtual doctor appointments (using video or phone) with in-person visits. These studies were published from 2017 to 2022.
Some of the studies were about general doctor visits, while others focused on specific health problems. Most of the research happened in the US, but some took place in other countries like the UK, Canada, and Japan.
The researchers carefully studied these studies to see how virtual visits compared to regular ones. They checked things like how much it cost, the health results, safety, how satisfied patients were, how long they had to wait, and if things were fair for everyone.
What They Found:
- Virtual appointments seemed to save time and money for doctors.
- For problems like feeling down or anxious, trying to quit smoking, managing weight, or cutting down on alcohol, virtual visits worked just as well as in-person ones. They even worked better for treating ulcers in one study.
- Virtual appointments were faster, and people liked how easy they were. But some people felt less sure about their choices.
- The researchers couldn’t say for sure if virtual visits were safer than regular ones. They also said more research is needed to understand if everyone gets the same chance for good care with virtual visits.
The researchers want more studies to find out if virtual visits could be risky for certain health problems or for people who aren’t good with technology.
