DECODE: Exploring the unintended consequences of online consultations
Research summary
Online consultation tools allowing patients to contact their GP have unintended consequences that put some patients at a disadvantage and create additional work for general practice staff.
NHS England has required all GP practices to provide online consultations – where patients submit their symptoms via an online form – since April 2020.
We wanted to understand the consequences of using online consultation tools in primary care, especially as some of them may have been unintended or unforeseen.