Media depictions of remote consulting throughout COVID-19

This new study by Oxford academics, led by Professor Trisha Greenhalgh, looked at newspaper coverage of the shift to remote consultations. It found that media depictions of remote GP consultations in the early months of the pandemic linked GPs with progress, efficiency, and safety; whereas media reports in more recent months have emphasised missed diagnoses, challenges to the therapeutic relationship, and digital inequalities. Perhaps rightly, the press have questioned why a policy originally introduced for infection control was then made permanent. Listen to the podcast interview with Dr Gilly Mroz and Professor Trisha Greenhalgh.

Reducing missed appointments

Missed appointments, or DNAs ('did not attends'), come at a great cost to general practice. While most view DNAs as a patient problem, this study, supported by the Health Foundation, highlights the appointment system itself as an integral cause of DNAs. This study shows the impact of quality improvement coaching, including sharing appointment system data, among practices. The findings illustrate how structural change to the appointment system can produce sustained reductions in DNA rates. Listen to the full podcast interview with Dr Tom Margham.

Association of non-malignant diseases with thrombocytosis

Previous research shows 11% of people with high platelet count in primary care are diagnosed with cancer in the following year. But what about diagnosing the 89%? A new study from the same team at University of Exeter flags up likely conditions. They found that inflammatory bowel disease, iron-deficiency anaemia, rheumatoid arthritis, COPD, and giant cell arteritis were more likely in patients with thrombocytosis than in those with a normal platelet count.