Investigating whether shared video-based consultations with patients, oncologists, and GPs can benefit patient-centred cancer care: a qualitative study

Dear Editor,

We read with great interest the article by Bitz Trabjerg et al (2020) and would like to add to the discussion from our perspective as final year medical students. Whilst telephone consultations were beginning to be incorporated into many general practices, often acting as a triage system, the current pandemic is forcing an increase in the use of technology in order to maintain crucial patient interaction.

As medical students we have recently undertaken training to improve our skills when conducting consultations both on the phone and on video calls. The dynamic of the consultation is vastly altered and thus practicing this with a GP tutor and peers proved very helpful as it is clear that this new way of consulting will be in place for some time. We have had the opportunity to witness this in practice by sitting in on clinics, such as a paediatric diabetes clinic; this involved a multi-disciplinary team and was conducted solely by video-camera. Life-long conditions such as diabetes and illnesses such as cancer require a holistic and patient-centred approach in order to provide the safest and most effective patient care.

In particular, GPs play a central role in coordinating patient care and incorporating patients in to the management of their care from the safety of their own home can improve patient education and their feelings of self-control. It seems the use of video-consultations will become prominent in medicine and thus should be incorporated into medical education imminently.