Caring remotely through 'fitting': Video consultation use in Danish general practice

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Digital Health
• General Practice

Background:

• Healthcare systems globally are exploring digital solutions to improve efficiency and patient access.
• Danish general practice is set to mandate video consultations for all GPs by the end of 2024.
• Understanding how clinicians conceptualize and implement video consultations is crucial for successful integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how Danish general practitioners (GPs) and staff integrate video consultations into their practice.
• To explore the alignment between video consultation use and the conceptualization of good care.
• To identify the practical implications of video consultation implementation in general practice.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 30 semi-structured interviews with GPs and general practice staff.
• Performed 132 hours of fieldwork across seven clinics.
• Analyzed data using reflexive thematic analysis with an abductive approach.

Main Results:

• Identified four key rationalizations for fitting video consultation into general practice care.
• Optimized use of patients' time and clinician/clinic resources.
• Enhanced connection with 'harder to reach' patients and improved work experiences for GPs and staff.

Conclusions:

• Video consultation offers diverse potentials for improving care delivery in general practice.
• Successful integration depends on aligning technology use with established concepts of good care.
• Findings contribute to understanding the impact of video consultations on healthcare provision.