NHS waiting times are rarely not in the news. Indeed, we all know far too well how difficult it is to get time in front of your doctor. In a bid to reduce the time that patients wait to see their GP the NHS is going to offer appointments via webcam. Welcome to a brave new world – a future where you never have to interact with other human beings face to face IRL.
Telephone consultations have been a thing for a while and they do have benefits. They’re particularly useful when it comes to renewing a prescription or discussing an ongoing issue. However, they can be unhelpful and leave you feeling that you haven’t been able to discuss the problem or ailment you’re experiencing in enough detail.
*The Telegraph *reports that three GPs practices in Essex and greater Manchester are already providing online video consultations with others set to follow in the future.
In order to go to their appointment, patients simply have to download an app on their computer or smartphone before logging in in time for their allocated slot.
Studies by the National Pharmacy Association have found that women are also more likely to report ill health throughout their lives, visiting the doctor on average 6 times a year compared to men who visit their GP four times a year.
The pressures faced by the NHS are very real, however we can’t help but wonder how this change would affect women in particular. In early adulthood women, generally, visit their GP more than men. No, that’s not because we’re more likely to go to the GP at the slightest sign of a throat tickle or sniff. It’s because our lives are more medicalised than men’s. During our ‘reproductive years’ of 15 to 44 we are on average 32% more likely to visit the doctor, particularly because of gynaecological and reproductive issues according to a study in the British Medical Journal.
When it comes to discussing problems you may be experiencing with your contraception or periods it’s difficult enough as it is to find the right medication for you. Problems like endometriosis or dysmenorrhea are also still all too often missed or left undiagnosed. As things stand it can take multiple appointments before you get the treatment you need, how long would it take if your consultations were taking place over Skype?
Understandably, perhaps, campaigners are worried that a move towards virtual appointments could mean doctors missing symptoms that they would easily spot in person.
Speaking to The Daily Mail Richard Vautrey of the British Medical Association’s GP committee said:
‘The real solution to these workload pressures that results in schemes like this is for the Government to urgently reverse a decade of underinvestment in general practices so that GP services can be properly funded to meet the growing health needs of their patients.’
Maybe some things really are better left IRL?
You might also be interested in:
Follow Vicky on Twitter @Victoria_Spratt
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.