Telemedicine and isolated communities: A UK perspective

Abstract

There are still considerable inequalities in the provision of primary care in the UK in relation to need. Recruitment and retention of general practitioners (GPs) is a problem, although this is worse in inner-city than in rural areas. The main problem in rural areas of the UK is the accessibility of health services. GP consultation rates, hospital outpatient attendance rates and inpatient admissions all decline with distance both to the doctors’ surgeries and to hospitals. There is evidence that health services can be successfully and effectively delivered to isolated communities by telemedicine, but almost all of it relates to work done outside the UK. The experience has been generally good and should certainly be taken into account when planning future physician requirements and distribution.