Implementing the Virtual Integrated Practice (VIP) Program to Support Rural General Practice Viability in Australia.
Jennifer Job, Ruby Strauss, Zena Martin and 1 others
PMID 41858254WHAT IT FOUND
Rural practices ran a virtual GP service with 8309 episodes of care, mostly video.
Practice staff supported 39% of episodes, mostly nursing. It describes implementation and workflow needs, not better patient outcomes.
Key findings
01Seven VIP GPs delivered 8309 episodes of care across eight practices, averaging 20 episodes per day per GP (range 2-38).
02Practice staff support was required for 3184 episodes (39%), and 90.8% of that support was nursing.
03Among 310 patient surveys, 92.9% agreed or strongly agreed they would use the service again and 90.6% said it improved access to a GP.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
There was no comparison group or clinical outcome measure, so the paper cannot show that the service improved health, reduced emergency visits, or was cost-effective. Patient survey response was 310 of 8309 episodes (3.7%), so positive views may not represent all patients. Interviewees were practice staff and GPs involved in the program, and two invited participants did not respond, so views may be supportive. Reasons for visit were recorded by GPs and may miss several topics covered in one consultation. Cost and billing data were not linked to wait times or health-system savings.
Declared interests
Funded by Western Queensland, North Queensland and Darling Downs West Moreton Primary Health Networks and Health Workforce Queensland. The research team and interviewers were involved in implementing the VIP service, and one author was a VIP GP stakeholder.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that virtual GP visits improve health outcomes or save money. The study had no comparison group, reported no clinical outcomes, and only 310 of 8309 episodes had patient surveys, so it describes implementation and acceptability among surveyed patients.