Patients prefer GPs over pharmacists or nurses, says study
Despite encouragement to use the expert services of pharmacists and nurses, patients are still saying they prefer to consult GPs, says a study from the University of Southampton.
What the study found
Continuity of care is important to many. Lack of understanding of what the various roles of healthcare professional are and how they can make a positive difference in a patient’s healthcare are also contributing factors to the lack of confidence:
- In-person preference: The study revealed that patients consider face-to-face GP appointments the ‘gold standard’ and express a desire for continuity of care by choosing a specific doctor.
- Trust and confidence: When patients were directed to a nurse or pharmacist instead of a GP, especially for in-person visits, their trust and confidence in the healthcare system decreased.
- Communication and access: Patients also highlighted the need for clearer communication regarding the roles of different healthcare professionals and easier ways to book appointments.
- GP workload: The research also noted that while patients prefer GPs, it’s important to acknowledge that other healthcare professionals like nurses and pharmacists play crucial roles in the healthcare system and can alleviate some of the GP’s workload.
- Multidisciplinary teams: The study acknowledges the value of multidisciplinary teams in general practice, but also points out that patients may not always feel comfortable being directed to other professionals when they prefer to see a GP.
Our view
It’s not really surprising that patients are concerned about lack of GP face-to-face appointments, when the move to telephone consultations happened very quickly during the pandemic, and people would have expected life to return to ‘normal’ thereafter.
Instead the system has changed for good it would seem, and the move to direct people to other professionals is the likely result of there just not being enough GP consultation hours to cope with the workloads.
While the UK government’s recently published 10-year plan for the NHS includes much more use of the NHS app, this is going to be difficult for those who are just not used to picking up a smartphone and using an app for any situation.
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