Continuity of care refers to the consistent and coordinated delivery of healthcare services over time. Continuity has been associated with improvements in morbidity and mortality, yet its decline has been identified as a significant concern amid increasing pressures in primary care.

This review aimed to inform current policy initiatives by synthesizing evidence on how continuity of care is measured, the current challenges faced and proposed future interventions in UK general practice.

We conducted a literature search for articles published before 15 February 2024, to explore continuity in UK primary care. Screening and data extraction followed PRISMA Scoping Review guidelines, with all studies undergoing double screening to determine eligibility.

A total of 180 papers were included (95 quantitative, 76 qualitative and 9 mixed-methods). Across the literature, continuity of care was most commonly conceptualized and measured as relational continuity, the Usual Provider of Care (UPC) Index was the most commonly used metric. Informational and managerial continuity were rarely assessed. Certain patient groups, including those with long-term conditions, mental health needs, and multimorbidity, were reported to place greater value on continuity of care. Higher relational continuity was associated with improved patient satisfaction, care coordination and reduced hospital admissions. However, sustaining continuity was frequently challenged by workforce pressures and fragmented information transfer. Although formal and informal interventions to enhance continuity were described, tensions between continuity and access persisted, and continuity was reported to vary across patient groups.

The decline in continuity of care has implications for patient experience and system outcomes. This review highlights the need for system-level approaches and national policy reforms to support continuity, while addressing workforce constraints, access pressures and unequal experiences of care. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of continuity-enhancing interventions and to identify any potential unintended consequences.

Efficient triage in general practice is critical to optimize appointment allocation and minimize patient delays. Delays in receiving clinical information, such as photographs or symptom questionnaires, lead to unnecessary consultations and inefficiencies. This study evaluated the feasibility and impact of a structured pre-triage protocol requesting photos and questionnaires for common conditions (skin, eye, tonsillitis, and urinary tract infections).

A pre-post intervention quality improvement project was conducted in a UK general practice. Triage administrators were instructed to proactively request photographs for skin and eye complaints and symptom questionnaires for tonsillitis and UTIs at initial patient contact. Outcomes included process metrics (number of pre-triage requests, proportion of cases managed directly by the triage GP) and subjective measures of ease, speed, satisfaction, and confidence.

The protocol increased photo requests for skin (mean increase 4.0/session, Cohen’s d = 7.77) and eye (2.2/session, d = 4.09) conditions, while questionnaire requests remained unchanged. The proportion of skin cases managed directly by the triage GP increased significantly (from 0.2 to 2.2 cases/session, d = 1.65), and eye case management also improved. Questionnaire-based pathways showed minimal change in efficiency or direct management. Subjective feedback indicated a slight reduction in triage speed, but ease and satisfaction were maintained, while diagnostic confidence increased, particularly for photo-supported conditions.

A structured pre-triage protocol is feasible, acceptable, and potentially effective in enhancing triage efficiency, particularly for visually assessable conditions like skin and eye presentations. By enabling earlier access to essential information, such protocols may reduce unnecessary consultations, improve workflow, and support clinician confidence.

To describe the development, delivery, and outcome of an action-oriented intervention comprising an awareness-raising educational video and workshop designed to support general practice teams to identify and plan decarbonization actions, delivered from May-September 2024.

Healthcare services internationally are committing to net zero targets. General practice is recognized as having a pivotal role in achieving these ambitions. However, limited awareness of decarbonization initiatives and insufficient support for implementation highlight the need for an educational resource to facilitate action planning.

Principles of organizational change, video-design, and barriers to decarbonization informed the intervention’s development. The video included modules featuring resource materials and ideas to support the development and implementation of decarbonization actions in general practice. Prompts for a facilitated workshop discussion were developed to support action planning. The intervention was delivered to 64 multidisciplinary staff across 12 general practices in England. A conceptual content analysis was conducted on completed practice green action plans (GAPs) and data from an online participant feedback form were analysed using descriptive statistics to assess perceptions of the intervention. Free-text comments were thematically analysed.

Across the 12 GAPs, each practice planned between three and eight decarbonization actions. ‘Managing waste’ was the most frequently addressed area, appearing in 10 practice GAPs, and most planned actions mapped onto those presented within the video. Thirty (46.9%) participants completed the evaluation survey. The intervention was well received, with 28 (93.3%) survey respondents rating the overall usefulness of the video as 4 or 5 (1 ‘not at all useful’ to 5 ‘very useful’). Free-text comments for suggested improvements related to time for consolidating learning, and concerns about the video’s audio quality and duration.

The educational workshop successfully facilitated the development of structured GAPs with explicit timescales and intended outcomes. This study did not assess the implementation of planned actions.

In the Netherlands, around 750 children (0–21 year) die annually from potentially palliative conditions. The majority of these children reside at home, receiving care from hospital services and primary care. This study aims to examine general practice utilization for pediatric palliative care patients in the last 2 years of life.

A retrospective cohort study was performed using the routine healthcare database of the Julius General Practitioners’ Network. The main outcome for general practitioner (GP) utilization was the number of GP consultations for children in the last 3 months of life. Participants were included who were children (0–21 years), and deceased in the period 01-01-2013 to 31-12-2022 from an underlying chronic condition. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and tested for differences in provided care between children who died in hospital and who died at home.

Forty-eight children from 32 GP practices met inclusion criteria. Median age was 10.0 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.5–17.1). Common diagnoses were oncological (29%), congenital (29%), and metabolic conditions (23%). Ninety-six percent of children had contact with their GP in the last 3 months (median 7 consultations, IQR 3.0–10.0), i.e. 26 children who died in hospital had median 3.5 GP consultations compared to 20 children who died at home median 9.5 GP consultations (p < 0.001). Thirty-five percent of children were documented as being palliative, with 54% having some form of advance care planning discussions documented.

These results demonstrate that GPs are highly involved in providing pediatric palliative care. The palliative nature of these children and advance care planning discussions are not routinely documented and/or performed by GPs. Further insights into guidance that supports GPs, in collaboration with other healthcare professionals, in providing palliative care for children at home and their families are needed.

To investigate the decision-making processes of nurse prescribers in general practice when managing acute episodes of illness in patients with multimorbidity.

Nurse independent prescribers in UK general practice are facing increasing complex clinical decision-making when assessing patients presenting acutely with undifferentiated and undiagnosed conditions as multimorbidity and polypharmacy becomes increasingly common. This qualitative study investigated the decision-making processes of nurse prescribers in general practice when managing acute episodes of illness in patients with multimorbidity.

Fourteen general practice nurse prescribers were recruited through purposive sampling. Think aloud in response to staged vignettes was used followed by semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse think aloud and interview data.

Participants were experienced nurses with a range of clinical exposure and training who mostly made appropriate diagnostic and prescribing decisions. Pockets of expertise were revealed which reflected participants’ clinical experience, but there was a high rate of referral to the GP for some vignettes. Participants’ decision-making was underpinned by both analytical and intuitive processes, the quality of which was dependent on their individual knowledge and experience. A reliance on pattern recognition, aligned to intuitive decision-making, to determine the content of the consultations was identified as an area of risk and showed all participants to be inconsistent in their identification of complex factors. Omission of these factors could have important implications for prescribing decision-making. Organizational issues such as time-limited clinics also shaped the content of participants’ consultations, encouraged a limited, problem-focused approach, and reduced the opportunity for mentorship. Comprehensive knowledge, clinical experience, and mentorship are critical to ensure nurse prescribers make optimal decisions in the context of patients with multimorbidity. A team approach to the management of acute presentations in these patients is recommended to improve patient experience and maximize nurse prescribers’ contribution to the general practice workforce.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Research suggests people with Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) have increased CVD risk. However, knowledge gaps exist regarding CVD risk management for general practice patients with MHD, and interventions that might improve CVD prevention. This study examined the perspectives of general practice professionals in Ireland on cardiovascular risk assessment for patients already diagnosed with MHD and to describe current approaches to identifying this population using the Mental Health Finder (MHF) tool.

An embedded mixed-methods design was adopted, guided by constructivist grounded theory and the Social Ecological Model. Aggregated anonymised data, including availability and use of the MHF tool, were collected from five practices and analysed in SPSS. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 general practitioners and three practice nurses. Qualitative data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Of the five practices, two had access to the MHF tool. These reported combined prevalence of 18.7% for MHD compared with 0.5–11.5% in practices without the tool, highlighting the importance of systematic identification. Qualitative analysis generated four themes: (1) prevalence of MHD in general practice, (2) association between MHD and CVD risk, (3) CVD risk management in patients with MHD, and (4) holistic care.

CVD risk assessment for patients with MHD in general practice is largely opportunistic and unstructured. Participants highlighted the need for structured frameworks, protocols, and enhanced supports to enable systematic cardiovascular assessment and management in this population.

To investigate how to recruit patients rigosrously in general practice for trials based on symptoms as predefined inclusion criteria rather than a well-defined diagnosis. We used persistent physical symptoms (PPS) as a target condition.

Conducting randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in general practice is crucial for evidence-based decision-making and treatment in frontline healthcare. However, recruitment is often challenged in general practice because many patients have vaguely defined conditions, such as PPS.

We used qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore the perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) on different recruitment scenarios, while paying particular attention to the logistics and feasibility in routine care. A total of 11 GPs from seven clinics were strategically recruited. The GPs were presented with one recruitment scenario (pre-consultation screening) and encouraged to suggest other scenarios. We conducted a thematic framework analysis of the interview material.

To ensure valid intervention research, one predefined scenario was discussed, and three additional scenarios were co-created during the interviews: (1) opportunistic screening, (2) pre-consultation screening, (3) audit (retrospective and prospective), and (4) random sample screening of the practice population. These scenarios differ with respect to logistical complexity, comparability to daily clinical practice, and entailed selection bias. Every scenario requires individual adaptation and implementation support to be feasible in routine care in general practice. The present study provides approaches for rigorous primary care research based on RCTs for frequent and vaguely defined conditions, but it also highlights a need to develop research methods better suited to frontline healthcare interventions.

The aim of this study is to describe the rollout of nursing activities during the pilot project’s first 12 months (2019–2021), especially relating to what was initially planned in the nurses’ job description.

To provide more comprehensive services and reinforce primary care, a pilot implementation study assessed the integration of nursing activities into eight general practitioners’ (GPs’) practices. The study evaluated how new types of activities were integrated and rolled out over the first year.

A mixed-methods observational study collected quantitative data on nursing activities and duration and qualitative data via five interviews with nurses and patients and one focus group with six GPs. Investigators combined quantitative and qualitative data in discussions about their results.

New nursing activities were rolled out progressively, especially follow-up activities with chronically ill patients, with a median time dedicated/month of 21h58 (range: 9h25 to 64h50) at six months and 48h43 (range: 11h01 to 59h51) at 12 months. One-off clinical activities are more easily integrated: the median time dedicated/month was 40h01 (range: 13h44 to 74h53) at six months and 40h30 (range: 9h38 to 76h51) at 12 months. Three elements were crucial in the implementation of nursing activities. The nurse’s previous professional experience influenced the scope of activities developed. GPs’ willingness to refer patients to the nurses enabled the latter to carry out follow-up activities with care plan. Lastly, the implementation of nursing activities was also made possible by patients’ acceptance of being cared for by nurse instead of a GP.

Implementation of nursing activities increased progressively, although more slowly for activities with chronically ill patients and within care plans, principally due to the overall change faced by GPs and nurses.

The European General Practitioners Research Network (EGPRN) designed and validated a comprehensive definition of multimorbidity using a systematic literature review and qualitative research throughout Europe. Identification of risk factors for decompensation would be an interesting challenge for family physicians (FPs) in the management of multimorbid patients. The aim was to assess which items from the EGPRN’s definition of multimorbidity could identify outpatients at risk of decompensation at 24 months.

A cohort study. About 120 multimorbid patients from Western Brittany, France, were included by general practitioners between 2014 and 2015. The status “decompensation” (hospitalization of at least 7 days or death) or “nothing to report (NTR)” was collected at 24 months of follow-up.

At 24 months, there were 44 patients (36.6%) in the decompensation group. Two variables were significant risk factors for decompensation: the number of visits to the FP per year (HR = 1.06 [95% CI 1.03–1.10], P < 0.001) and the total number of diseases (HR = 1.12 [95% CI 1.013–1.33], P = 0.039).

FPs should be warned that a high number of consultations and a high total number of diseases may predict death or hospitalization. These results need to be confirmed by large-scale cohorts in primary care.

We assessed patient experience of care, comparing current and past smokers, and whether frequency of advice to quit smoking impacts patient rating of care.

Experience of care may be a concern for people who smoke and affect their partnership with healthcare providers.

We surveyed adults aged over 35 years who had visited a general practitioner (GP) for health care in the past year (n = 611 current and n = 275 ex-smokers). Questions assessed smoking history, experience of care, anticipation of stigma, and perceptions of smoking cessation advice received in general practice.

Fewer than half (48.8%) of current smokers reported ‘always’ or ‘usually’ being advised to quit smoking, or being advised in a way that motivated them to quit by a GP or other care provider at their GP practice. Current smokers tended to delay or avoid help seeking when needed and experienced more anticipation of stigma in healthcare settings. Conversely, respondents who reported being advised to quit more frequently rated overall quality of care more highly. These data show that asking about smoking and providing advice to quit smoking was acceptable to most respondents and associated with higher ratings of quality of care. However, advice should be provided in a way that motivates patients, without exacerbating the stigma associated with smoking, which may impact help seeking.

Many consultations in primary care involve patients with mental health problems, and primary care is typically the place where many such patients initially seek help. While considerable research has examined the prevalence of mental health disorders in primary care, relatively few papers have examined this issue in recent years. This study aims to address this gap by reviewing contemporary literature from 2014 to 2024 on the prevalence of mental health disorders among general practice patients.

A comprehensive search across PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar was conducted, adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines for article selection and assessment, examining the prevalence of mental health disorders in general practice.

Studies varied in methodologies and healthcare settings, with reported prevalence rates of mental health disorders ranging from 2.4% to 56.3%. Demographic characteristics (female gender, older age) were associated with a higher prevalence of mental health disorders in the studies identified. Studies based on patient interviews reported broader prevalence (2.4–56.3%) compared to studies using electronic medical record reviews (12–38%). Prevalence also varied between countries. Notably, there has been a lack of post-COVID-19 studies, especially within Europe, examining the prevalence of mental health prevalence in primary care.

Mental health problems are still common among patients attending general practice; the approach to data collection (i.e., prospective interviews with patients), female gender and older age appear to be correlates of higher estimates. Further research involving a large-scale study with multiple sites is a priority.

The funding of primary care is subject to intense debate internationally. Three main funding models predominate: capitation, pay-for-performance, and fee-for-service. A number of systematic reviews regarding the effect of primary care funding structures have been published, but not synthesized through an equity lens. Given the urgent need for evaluating funding models and addressing inequalities, a reliable, synthesized evidence base concerning the effects of funding on inequalities is imperative.

This umbrella review aims to systematically evaluate all systematic reviews available on the effect of different primary care funding models in high-income countries on inequalities in funding, access, outcomes, or experience from inception until 2024.

Three databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane) and a machine learning living evidence map were searched. Abstracts and titles were double screened, before two authors independently screened full texts, extracted data, and performed quality assessments utilizing the AMSTAR2 tool.

The search identified 2480 unique articles, of which 14 were included in the final review. Only one review compared reimbursement systems; capitation systems were more equitable between ethnic groups compared to pay-for-performance in terms of primary care access, continuity, and quality. Twelve reviews reviewed the impact of the introduction of pay-for-performance models, predominantly focusing on the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) in the UK. Synthesized findings suggest that QOF’s introduction coincided with reduced socioeconomic health inequalities in the UK overall, but not in Scotland. Overall, inequalities in age narrowed, but inequalities measured by sex widened. One review found evidence that targeting funding for minority groups, with poorer health, was effective. A further review found that introducing privately provided general practices in Sweden and allowing patients to choose these over public-owned options generally benefitted those with higher income and lower health needs. We identify a range of gaps in the literature, which should inform future research.

The use of technology including digital decision support tools has become more ubiquitous in general practice. Australian GPs’ use of digital decision support tools, the sentiments, and associations with practitioner and practice characteristics. Positive and negative sentiments were considered facilitators and barriers to the uptake of digital decision support tools.

Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study was undertaken with data from the Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life (MABEL) survey was analysed. 3,126 GPs responded from a total of 27,829 participants representing all types of physicians, surveyed in September 2018. Descriptive statistics was used to examine facilitators and barriers to GP uptake of digital decision support tools, and multivariable logistic regression was used to examine its associations with practitioner and practice characteristics.

2240 GPs in this study (83.8%) reported using digital decision support tools with largely positive sentiments regarding technology use in consultations. Reservations include privacy concerns, system incompatibility, and lack of support. Those using digital decision support tools were more likely to be female, younger and bulk-billing.

Perceived facilitators of digital decision support tools in Australian general practice include improvements in patient outcomes, satisfaction, care processes, and saving time. Barriers include concerns about data privacy, lack of support, incompatibility, and being time-consuming. There was higher uptake amongst bulk-billing and female practitioners. Further research on the clinical usefulness of digital decision support tools and its impact on decision-making in general practice would be of value.

Poor diet is a major contributing factor to the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases. There is a need for effective nutrition care in primary care that manages the bulk of such diseases. This study aimed to describe the self-perceived nutrition competence of primary care physicians (PCPs) in Singapore and to evaluate the associated factors.

A cross-sectional study utilizing an anonymous online survey platform was conducted among PCPs from a public primary care institution in Singapore. We collected data on PCPs’ sociodemographic information, previous nutrition education and personal dietary habits, and measured self-perceived nutrition competence using the NUTrition COMPetence (NUTCOMP) questionnaire. Multivariable linear regression was conducted to examine the association between PCPs’ characteristics with their self-perceived nutrition competence.

Totally, 153 PCPs (45.9%) completed the survey in full. Among the four NUTCOMP constructs, ‘nutrition knowledge’ (2.8 ± 0.6) and ‘nutrition skills’ (2.9 ± 0.6) had the lowest mean scores followed by ‘nutrition communication and counselling’ (3.1 ± 0.6) and ‘attitudes towards providing nutrition care’ (4.3 ± 0.5). PCPs with formal nutrition training had significantly higher NUTCOMP scores compared with those without (β = 10.76, 95%CI:4.57–16.94), and those with 5 to 9 years and more than 10 years of work experience had significantly higher scores than those with less than 5 years (β = 7.62, 95%CI:0.44–14.81, and β = 9.44, 95%CI:2.85–16.04, respectively).

PCPs had lowest self-perceived confidence in nutrition knowledge and skills. Previous formal nutrition education and a longer primary care work experience were associated with better self-perceived nutrition competence. Future research to better integrate nutrition competencies into formal education programmes may be useful to improve PCPs’ self-perceived nutrition competence.

The current study aims at describing sexually transmitted infections (STI) surveillance data collected from 2015 to 2020 as well as investigating patients’ characteristics and risk factors in the sample population.

Reported STI cases are continuously increasing in Europe. In Belgium, 94.1% of citizens have a regular general practitioner (GP) or are affiliated to a general practice. By using GPs for surveillance, STIs can be monitored in the general population. Between January 2015 and December 2020, the Sentinel General Practitioners (SGP) network retrospectively reported five STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital warts, herpes, and syphilis.

In the SGP network database on STIs, participating GPs report on case-by-case basis through paper or online registration forms. We performed descriptive statistics, X2 test and logistic regression using SAS® 9.4. Multivariate multiple logistic regression was performed to investigate the relationship between STIs and patients’ characteristics.

During the study period, 1009 cases were reported, corresponding to an episode-based incidence estimated at 121 per 100,000 inhabitants. The majority of patients (59.8%) were men, and 83.6% were under age 30. Among female patients 92.7% had heterosexual contacts whereas 64.4% of male patients did. Women were more likely to be diagnosed with chlamydia (odds ratio [OR] 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12–2.17) and herpes (OR 1.72, 95% CI 1.04–2.86) than men.

In this study, STI surveillance data were in agreement with literature. Continuous surveillance through the SGP network remains an important tool to obtain information about populations at risk and STI incidence in the general population.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of pain management according to the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder on pain severity, pain interference, and blood pressure (BP) in treated hypertensive patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

Pain management can affect BP control owing to the proposed mechanism by which persistent pain contributes to increased BP. However, there are inadequate studies investigating the benefit of pain management in controlling both pain and BP in hypertensive patients who have chronic pain.

In this cross-sectional study, demographic data and pain characteristics (resting pain score on the numerical pain rating scale, pain severity, and pain interference subscale of the Brief Pain Inventory) were collected via face-to-face interviews. BP was measured thrice on the same day. Data on pain medications taken in the previous 1 month were retrieved from the medical records. Participants were categorized into three groups following pain management patterns according to the WHO analgesic ladder: no, partial, and complete treatment. Multivariate logistic regression analysis (MLRA) was used to analyse the association between the variables and uncontrolled BP.

Among 210 participants, the mean (standard deviation) age was 68 (15.5) years, and 60.47% had uncontrolled BP. The resting pain score, pain severity, and pain interference subscale scores of the complete treatment group were significantly lower than that of the partial treatment group (P = 0.036, 0.026, and 0.044, respectively). The MLRA revealed that pain management patterns were associated with uncontrolled BP (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 6.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.71−16.78; P < 0.001) and resting pain scores (AOR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.04−1.38; P = 0.048). Our findings suggest that pain management patterns adhering to the WHO analgesic ladder can reduce pain severity and pain interference and also control BP in hypertensive patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.

This study serves as an exemplar to demonstrate the scalability of a research approach using survival analysis applied to general practice electronic health record data from multiple sites. Collection of these data, the subsequent analysis, and the preparation of practice-specific reports were performed using a bespoke distributed data collection and analysis software tool.

Statins are a very commonly prescribed medication, yet there is a paucity of evidence for their benefits in older patients. We examine the relationship between statin prescriptions for general practice patients over 75 and all-cause mortality.

We carried out a retrospective cohort study using survival analysis applied to data extracted from the electronic health records of five Australian general practices.

The data from 8025 patients were analysed. The median duration of follow-up was 6.48 years. Overall, 52 015 patient-years of data were examined, and the outcome of death from any cause was measured in 1657 patients (21%), with the remainder being censored. Adjusted all-cause mortality was similar for participants not prescribed statins versus those who were (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.92–1.20, P = 0.46), except for patients with diabetes for whom all-cause mortality was increased (HR = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.00–1.68, P = 0.05). In contrast, adjusted all-cause mortality was significantly lower for patients deprescribed statins compared to those who were prescribed statins (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.70–0.93, P < 0.001), including among females (HR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.61–0.91, P < 0.001) and participants treated for secondary prevention (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.60–0.86, P < 0.001). This study demonstrated the scalability of a research approach using survival analysis applied to general practice electronic health record data from multiple sites. We found no evidence of increased mortality due to statin-deprescribing decisions in primary care.

To identify and quantify general practitioner (GP) preferences related to service attributes of clinical consultations, including telehealth consultations, in Australia.

GPs have been increasingly using telehealth to deliver patient care since the onset of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. GP preferences for telehealth service models will play an important role in the uptake and sustainability of telehealth services post-pandemic.

An online survey was used to ask GPs general telehealth questions and have them complete a discrete choice experiment (DCE). The DCE elicited GP preferences for various service attributes of telehealth (telephone and videoconference) consultations. The DCE investigated five service attributes, including consultation mode, consultation purpose, consultation length, quality of care and rapport, and patient co-payment. Participants were presented with eight choice sets, each containing three options to choose from. Descriptive statistics was used, and mixed logit models were used to estimate and analyse the DCE data.

A total of 60 GPs fully completed the survey. Previous telehealth experiences impacted direct preferences towards telehealth consultations across clinical presentations, although in-person modes were generally favoured (in approximately 70% of all scenarios). The DCE results lacked statistical significance which demonstrated undiscernible differences between GP preferences for some service attributes. However, it was found that GPs prefer to provide a consultation with good quality care and rapport (P < 002). GPs would also prefer to provide care to their patients rather than decline a consultation due to consultation mode, length or purpose (P < 0.0001). Based on the findings, GPs value the ability to provide high-quality care and develop rapport during a clinical consultation. This highlights the importance of recognising value-based care for future policy reforms, to ensure continued adoption and sustainability of GP telehealth services in Australia.