Teaching patient safety in remote consulting.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Digital Health
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Remote consultations are increasingly prevalent in primary care settings.
• While generally safe, remote consulting presents specific risks, often exacerbated by insufficient training for general practitioners (GPs).
• Adapting practice workflows is essential for optimizing remote care delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight risks associated with remote consulting in primary care.
• To emphasize the need for targeted training and workflow adjustments to ensure patient safety.
• To provide a framework for mitigating risks in remote healthcare delivery.

Main Methods:

• Review of current practices and risks in remote primary care consultations.
• Analysis of training needs for general practitioners and practice staff.
• Inclusion of fictionalized case studies to illustrate potential harms and successful risk mitigation.
• Proposal of practice-based group learning events for experience sharing and discussion.

Main Results:

• Identification of patient groups (e.g., those with complex conditions, extremes of age, disabilities, or social vulnerabilities) who require prioritized face-to-face consultations.
• Demonstration that tailored training enhances individual communication skills and team collaboration for remote care.
• Case examples show how proactive practice team actions can prevent harm during remote consultations.
• Group learning can effectively identify resources and strategies for risk mitigation.

Conclusions:

• Adapting practice workflows and providing specific training are vital for safe remote primary care.
• Identifying and prioritizing at-risk patients for in-person visits is a key safety measure.
• Utilizing case studies and reflective practice can improve remote consultation safety and support trainee development.