Changing media depictions of remote consulting in COVID-19: analysis of UK newspapers

Abstract

Background: Remote consulting was introduced quickly into UK general practice in March 2020 as an emergency response to Covid-19. In July 2020, ‘remote-first’ became long-term government policy. Aim: To explore how this change was portrayed in national newspapers and how depictions changed over time. Design and setting: We undertook a thematic analysis of newspaper articles referring to remote GP consultations from two time periods: March-May 2020 and July-August 2020. Method: Articles were identified through, and extracted from, LexisNexis® Academic UK. A coding system of themes and narrative devices was developed and applied to the data. The analysis was developed iteratively, amending the coding structure as new data were added. Results: Remote consulting was widely covered in newspapers. Articles in period 1 depicted it positively, equating digital change with progress and linking novel technological solutions with improved efficiency and safety (e.g. infection control) in a service that was overdue for modernisation. Articles in period 2 questioned the persistence of a remote-first service now that the pandemic was waning, emphasising (for example) missed diagnoses, challenges to the therapeutic relationship, and digital inequalities. Conclusion: As the first wave of the pandemic came and went, media depictions of remote consulting evolved from an ‘efficiency and safety’ narrative to a ‘risks, inequalities and lack of choice’ narrative. To restore public trust in general practice, public communication should emphasise the wide menu of consulting options now available to patients and measures being taken to assure safety and avoid inequity.

Maintaining face-to-face contact during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal qualitative investigation in UK primary care

“…22 Guidance was rapidly issued on when certain types of consultation may be most appropriate 6 and subsequently there has been reflection on the innovations that should be retained post-pandemic, 20 including evidence of emerging narratives in the media that are more critical of the trade-offs entailed by a permanent shift to remote consultations as the default. 23 Our findings corroborate those of Sharma et al, who conducted an online survey of GPs and practice managers in the East Midlands during May and June 2020 to explore how practices were coping with the pandemic. 12 They found practices implementing a similar range of measures, to both buildings and processes, to make face-to-face contact possible.…”

Maintaining face-to-face contact during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal qualitative investigation in UK primary care

“…21 Guidance was rapidly issued on when certain types of consultation may be most appropriate 6 and subsequently there has been re ection on the innovations that should be retained post-pandemic, 19 including evidence of emerging narratives in the media that are more critical of the trade-offs entailed by a permanent shift to remote consultations as the default. 22 Our ndings corroborate those of Sharma et al, who conducted an online survey of GPs and practice managers in the East Midlands during May and June 2020 to explore how practices were coping with the pandemic. 12 They found practices implementing a similar range of measures, to both buildings and processes, to make face-to-face contact possible.…”

‘Saying goodbye’ during the COVID-19 pandemic: A document analysis of online newspapers with implications for end of life care

“…Avoid assuming that a COVID-19 death is inherently bad or worse than a typical death Since media narratives affect the public, people's fears, concerns and anxieties are likely to arise from media messaging. Negativity and lack of nuance were found in a study of media coverage of remote medical consultations during the pandemic 47 ; we found similar features in coverage of death and bereavement. The lack of positive advice for those affected, or examples of a 'good enough' death, may further stoke anxieties and reduce health-seeking behaviours.…”