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Non-face to face consultations and communications in primary care : the role and perspective of general practice managers in Scotland

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journal contribution
posted on 2011-11-01, 00:00 authored by Lisa HannaLisa Hanna, C May, K Fairhurst
Background Practice managers play an important role in the organisation and delivery of primary care, including uptake and implementation of technologies. Little is currently known about practice managers’ attitudes to the use of information and communication technologies, such as email or text messaging, to communicate or consult with patients.

Objectives To investigate practice managers’ attitudes to non-face-to-face consultation/communication technologies in the routine delivery of primary care and their role in the introduction and normalisation of these technologies.

Methods We carried out a mixed-methods study in Scotland, UK. We invited all practice managers in Scotland to take part in a postal questionnaire survey. A maximum variation sample of 20 survey respondents participated subsequently in in-depth qualitative interviews.

Results Practice managers supported the use of new technologies for routine tasks to manage workload and maximise convenience for patients, but a range of contextual factors such as practice list size, practice deprivation area and geographical location affected whether managers would pursue the introduction of these technologies in the immediate future. The most common objections were medico-legal concerns and lack of perceived patient demand.

Conclusion Practice managers are likely to play a central role in the introduction of new consultation/communication technologies within general practice. They hold varying views on the appropriateness of these technologies, influenced by a complex mix of contextual characteristics.Managers from areas in which the ethos of the practice prioritises personalised care in service delivery are less enthusiastic about the adoption of remote consultation/ communication technologies.

History

Journal

Informatics in primary care

Volume

19

Issue

1

Pagination

17 - 24

Publisher

Radcliffe Publishing Ltd

Location

Oxon, England

ISSN

1476-0320

eISSN

1475-9985

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2011, Radcliffe Publishing