Sir, – I write in response to Dr Muiris Houston's column "Should patients avoid video consultations like the plague?" (Health + Family, August 22nd), which addressed the recent media debate on video consultations with GPs.
The National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) believes that video consultations should only take place between GPs and their own patients to ensure continuity of care and access to medical history. Video consultations allow GPs to provide a convenient way for patients to see them, at a time or location that suits them.
GP Online, which was developed with the assistance of the NAGP, is a service which is designed to deliver video consultations between patients and their own GP.
Video consultations can potentially help address the issue of patients postponing seeing their GP due to time or other constraints in getting to the surgery. Video consultations have proven to effectively address a wide range of common ailments in other countries, including the US, where they are long established.
It is important to note that video should not replace face-to-face consultations but it can be used to complement it, where appropriate. Video consultations are not appropriate for all medical complaints including those requiring a physical examination. Video consultations with a GP who is not familiar with your medical history do not ensure adequate patient safety and continuity of care. – Is mise,
Dr ANDREW JORDAN,
Chairman,
National Association
of General Practitioners,
Kildare Street, Dublin 2.