Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

NHS direct: managing demand for primary care?

Annabelle L Mark1, Ifan D H Shepherd

  • 1Middlesex University Business School, Hendon, UK. a.mark@mdx.ac.uk

The International Journal of Health Planning and Management
|April 6, 2004
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

NHS restructuring: Consider social anthropology.

BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2007
Same author

How has NHS Direct changed primary care provision?

Journal of telemedicine and telecare·2003
Same author

Nurses as NHS gatekeepers. Nurses tend to use social rather than medical model of care.

BMJ (Clinical research ed.)·2002
Same journal

Unmet Need for Family Planning Among Married Women in Bangladesh: A Decade of Progress and Persisting Disparities.

The International journal of health planning and management·2026
Same journal

Providing Mental Health and Substance Use Services to People Released From Custody During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Service Providers.

The International journal of health planning and management·2026
Same journal

Human Resource Management, Complementarity and Hospital Performance: Evidence From the English NHS.

The International journal of health planning and management·2026
Same journal

'I Took TB Medicine for Six Months Without Having TB': Personal and Institutional Factors Affecting Trust in Healthcare Among African Immigrants in Florida, United States.

The International journal of health planning and management·2026
Same journal

Development and Validation of the Medical Brain Drain Attitudes Scale (MBDAS) in Turkey.

The International journal of health planning and management·2026
Same journal

Evaluation of Knowledge About Human Papillomavirus and Vaccination Among Women Screened for Cervical Cancer.

The International journal of health planning and management·2026
See all related articles

NHS Direct, a telephone health helpline, did not significantly alter overall primary care demand but shifted patient groups and referral patterns. Organizational changes and nurse roles were key factors influencing demand.

Area of Science:

  • Health Services Research
  • Primary Care Medicine
  • Telehealth

Background:

  • NHS Direct is a national telephone health helpline in the UK.
  • HARMONI is an integrated telephone health helpline in West London.
  • The study examines the impact of NHS Direct on primary care demand, specifically out-of-hours GP services.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the effect of NHS Direct on the workload of HARMONI doctors.
  • To understand changes in primary care demand patterns.
  • To investigate the influence of organizational and behavioral factors on service utilization.

Main Methods:

  • A 3-year study combining qualitative and quantitative approaches.
  • Cross-sectional and longitudinal data analysis.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Analysis of call data and interviews with healthcare professionals.

    • Main Results:

    • No significant change in the total volume of primary care activity was observed.
    • Significant shifts in patient groups (elderly, children) and GP practices were identified.
    • Changes in referral patterns, including GP out-of-hours visits, were linked to organizational changes and evolving nurse roles.

    Conclusions:

    • Behavioral and organizational changes are as significant as computerized decision support in altering primary care demand.
    • The evolving role of nurses from gatekeepers to patient advocates impacted service demand.
    • GPs not integrated with NHS Direct experienced different call demand patterns.