CMC research presents emoticons as visual representations of writers

ObjectiveTo explore the experiences of Danish patients using video consultation (VC) to consult their general practitioner (GP) during COVID-19 lockdown and their attitudes towards continued use beyond COVID-19.DesignA qualitative design was employed, consisting of individual semi-structured interviews where participants were asked to retrospectively describe their experiences and reflections. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.SettingCapital and Southern Regions of Denmark.Participants27 patients (17 women and 10 men) aged between 23 and 76 years who had used VC once or more during the COVID-19 pandemic participated. The data were collected from February to October 2020. We used a convenience sampling technique and sample size was based on the principle of information power.ResultsThree overarching themes, each containing subthemes, were developed. Participants described pre-use reactions and concerns relating to VC as being ‘better than nothing’ given the COVID-19 circumstances, and preferred VC over a telephone consultation. Salient pre-use concerns related to whether the technology ‘would work’ and whether VC would influence consultation length and GP behaviour. Overall, participants reported positive experiences of VC use and communication attributing these mainly to ‘knowing the GP’ and ‘feeling seen and heard’. Participants were interested in future VC use for many needs as a natural consequence of an increasingly digitalised society, not least due to COVID-19.ConclusionsOur findings contribute with knowledge about first-user experiences of VC against the background of COVID-19. Participants showed positive attitudes towards future use of VC as either a supplementary or alternative consultation form in general practice.

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses stand in an unknown situation while facing continuous news feeds. Social media is a ubiquitous tool to gain and share reliable knowledge and experiences regarding COVID-19. The article aims to explore how nurses use social media in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. Method A scoping review inspired by Arksey and O’Mally was conducted by searches in Medline, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete and Web of Sciences. Empirical research studies investigating nurses’ use of social media in relation to COVID-19 were included. Exclusion criteria were: Literature reviews, articles in languages other than English, articles about E-health, and articles investigating healthcare professionals without specification of nurses included. Articles, published in January-November 2020, were included and analysed through a thematic analysis. The PRISMA-ScR checklist was used. Results Most of the eleven included studies were cross-sectional surveys, conducted in developing countries, and had neither social media nor nurses as their main focus of interest. Three themes were identified: ‘Social media as a knowledge node’, ‘Social media functioned as profession-promoting channels’ and ‘Social media as a disciplinary tool’. Nurses used social media as channels to gain and share information about COVID-19, and to support each other by highlighting the need for training and changes in delivery of care and redeployment. Further, social media functioned as profession-promoting channels partly sharing heroic self-representations and acknowledgment of frontline persons in the pandemic, partly by displaying critical working conditions. Finally, nurses used social media to educate people to perform the ‘right ‘COVID-19’ behaviours in society. Conclusion This review provided snapshots of nurses’ uses of social media from various regions in the world, but revealed a need for studies from further countries and continents. The study calls for further multi-methodological and in depth qualitative research, including theoretically framed studies, with a specific focus on the uses of social media among nurses during the pandemic.

ObjectiveEmail consultations have become part of everyday doctor–patient communication in many countries. The objective of this study is to investigate how patients and general practitioners (GPs) perceive the communicative advantages and disadvantages of access via email consultation drawing on a media-theoretical perspective.DesignWe analysed qualitative interview data from general practices in Denmark to identify salient themes.ParticipantsOur data set consists of semi-structured interviews with 30 patients and 23 GPs. The data were collected from February 2016 to September 2019.ResultsThe following themes emerged: (1) lower contact threshold, (2) accessing a new interaction space and (3) access to access. From the patients’ perspective, email consultations provided more convenient contact with their GP. From the GPs’ perspective, email consultations facilitated contact with patients whom they otherwise rarely saw, but also resulted in overuse and inappropriate use. Patients and GPs considered email consultations as inviting new interactions, facilitating also communication about emotional and sensitive issues. Both patients and GPs experienced email consultations as a way in which patients could achieve easier access to face-to-face consultations (access to access).ConclusionDrawing on a media perspective, this study adds knowledge of how the potentials of the medium of email consultations are perceived by GPs and patients. Email consultations do not simply extend existing forms of contact and consultation (face-to-face and telephone); they produce a new communication space with its own possibilities which result in new practices. With increasing use of email consultations, there may be challenges involved in transferring GP–patient communication to the written medium.

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