SORA

Advancing, promoting and sharing knowledge of health through excellence in teaching, clinical practice and research into the prevention and treatment of illness

Experiences of GP trainees in undertaking telephone consultations: a mixed methods study

Chaudhry, UAR; Ibison, J; Harris, T; Rafi, I; Johnston, M; Fawns, T (2020) Experiences of GP trainees in undertaking telephone consultations: a mixed methods study. BJGP Open, 4 (1). ISSN 2398-3795 https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen20X101008
SGUL Authors: Chaudhry, Umar Ahmed Riaz Harris, Teresa Jane Ibison, Judith Margaret

[img]
Preview
PDF Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (2MB) | Preview
[img] Microsoft Word (.docx) Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (66kB)
[img] Microsoft Word (.docx) (Title page) Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (21kB)
[img] Microsoft Word (.docx) (Tables) Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (27kB)
[img] Microsoft Word (.docx) (Figures) Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (872kB)
[img] Microsoft Word (.docx) (Supplementary files) Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (40kB)

Abstract

Background Primary care telephone consultations are increasingly used for patient triage, reviews, and providing clinical information. They are also a key postgraduate training component yet little is known about GP trainees’ preparation for, or experiences and perceptions of, them. Aim To understand the experiences, perceptions, and training of GP trainees in conducting telephone consultations. Design & setting A mixed-methods study was undertaken of North Central and East London (NCEL) GP trainees. Method A cross-sectional electronic survey of trainees was performed with subsequent semi-structured interviews. Survey data were analysed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data using thematic analysis. Results The survey response was 16% (n = 100/618), and 10 participated in semi-structured interviews. Trainees felt least confident with complicated telephone consulting, and there was a strong positive correlation between the percentage reporting having received training and their confidence (R 2 = 0.71, P<0.0001). Positive experiences included managing workload and convenience. Negative experiences included complex encounters, communication barriers, and absence of examination. Trainees reported that training for telephone consultations needed strengthening, and that recently introduced audio-clinical observation tools (COTs) were useful. Positive correlations were found between the length of out-of-hours (OOH) but not in-hours training and the level of supervision or feedback received for telephone consultations. Conclusion This project sheds light on GP trainees’ current experiences of telephone consultations and the need to enhance future training. The findings will inform a wider debate among stakeholders and postgraduate learners regarding training for telephone consultations, and potentially for other remote technologies.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Copyright © 2020, The Authors This article is Open Access: CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Institute of Medical & Biomedical Education (IMBE)
Academic Structure > Institute of Medical & Biomedical Education (IMBE) > Centre for Clinical Education (INMECE )
Academic Structure > Population Health Research Institute (INPH)
Journal or Publication Title: BJGP Open
ISSN: 2398-3795
Dates:
DateEvent
January 2020Published
4 February 2020Published Online
24 September 2019Accepted
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/111401
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgpopen20X101008

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item