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- Page navigation anchor for Remote consulting: recognising the cognitive loadRemote consulting: recognising the cognitive loadLucy Ambrose Life and Times viewpoint1 presents interesting perspectives on the use of fast and slow thinking to analyse GPs remote consulting sessions. However, it seems that there are important points missing from the analysis. For a start, the ‘patient’ is a noticeable absentee from the arguments presented in the piece. This absence is surprising because after all the remote consultation is assumed to be between the GP on one end of the line with the patient at the other end. I mention this because the patients interaction in the consultation is an important factor in determining the cognitive load of the GP.Second, regardless of the GP practice setting being remote or face-to-face, fast thinking, to Kahneman,2 seems ‘effortless’ whereas slow thinking involves ” deliberate, effortful and orderly “mental activities.Finally, to accord with slow thinking-mode behaviour, an individual, for example, a GP resorts to intuition instead of reasoning when cognitive demands on rational calculations are high.References1. Ambrose L. Remote consulting: recognising the cognitive load. Br J Gen Pract 2020; 70(695):295.2. Kahneman D. Thinking fast and slow: Penguin, 2014.Competing Interests: None declared.