Remote consultations have meant that patients who might have had to wait for several days or weeks to be seen can have an appointment by telephone or video with their GP often within 24 hours. If a patient is seeking a routine check-up or advice on medication, then a telephone or video appointment would seem sensible.
But what about the situation where you suffer something new? Can you be sure that your GP will be able to ascertain your problem by a telephone or video call? If not, you should be seen face-to-face.
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When to seek a face-to-face GP appointment
The Medical Defence Union who represent GPs has made several recommendations to ensure adequate assessment takes place with the question in mind, “can I be confident that I have excluded anything serious?’ If the answer is ‘no’ then a face-to-face appointment is necessary. This becomes even more challenging when the GP has not met the patient previously.
Taking a full history with an open mind is even more crucial in these circumstances. That is allowing the patient to state what they think the problem is, their symptoms, what concerns they have.
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At Jackson Lees, we have dealt with medical negligence claims where an inadequate history from the patient has led to the wrong diagnosis and to serious consequences such as a failure to recognise the signs or symptoms of cancer which in turn delayed treatment. Telephone or video consultations may increase the risk of this happening.
The increased risk of medical negligence
When consulting remotely the ‘soft cues’ are lost, including how the patient looks, their body language, demeanour, how they walk. Tactile cues such as skin temperature, physical examination. Different auditory cues due to sound quality and the patient using a ‘telephone voice’. Making eye contact over video is impossible. Patients may not always be aware that they have important physical signs that can only be detected by an examination.
An example of where a serious condition could get missed is an elderly patient complaining of a very painful leg. The GP asks if it is hot, red or swollen and the patient replies saying it looks fine, but it is really painful. The GP makes a note in the medical records that it was likely to be arthritis. It was later discovered that the patient had a serious lack of blood supply to the leg due to a vascular problem. In this situation, the GP could not rely on the telephone consultation and ought to have seen the patient face-to-face.
How Jackson Lees can help you
Jackson Lees are a nationally recognised firm. Our compassionate & friendly team of expert medical negligence lawyers has years of experience in dealing with a variety of cases and we typically work on a no win, no fee basis.
Read more on what to expect from a Medical Negligence Lawyer.
If you have suffered medical negligence at the hands of a healthcare professional, call us today on 0151 282 1700. Alternatively, you can make an enquiry or request a callback and a member of the team will be in touch to discuss your situation.