Brant, H., Atherton, Helen, Bikker, A., Porqueddu, T., Salisbury, C., McKinstry, B., Campbell, J., Gibson, A. and Ziebland, S. (2018) Receptionists’ role in new approaches to consultations in primary care : focused ethnographic study. British Journal of General Practice, 68 (672). e478-e486. doi:10.3399/bjgp18X697505 ISSN 1478-5242.

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Abstract

Background

The receptionist is pivotal to the smooth running of general practice in the UK, communicating with patients and booking appointments.

Aim

The authors aimed to explore the role of the receptionist in the implementation of new approaches to consultations in primary care.

Design and setting

The authors conducted a team-based focused ethnography. Three researchers observed eight general practices across England and Scotland between June 2015 and May 2016.

Method

Interviews were conducted with 39 patients and 45 staff in the practices, all of which had adopted one or more methods (telephone, email, e-consultation, or internet video) for providing an alternative to face-to-face consultation.

Results

Receptionists have a key role in facilitating patient awareness regarding new approaches to consultations in primary care, while at the same time ensuring that patients receive a consultation appropriate to their needs. In this study, receptionists’ involvement in implementation and planning for the introduction of alternative approaches to face-to-face consultations was minimal, despite the expectation that they would be involved in delivery.

Conclusion

A shared understanding within practices of the potential difficulties and extra work that might ensue for reception staff was lacking. This might contribute to the low uptake by patients of potentially important innovations in service delivery. Involvement of the wider practice team in planning and piloting changes, supporting team members through service reconfiguration, and providing an opportunity to discuss and contribute to modifications of any new system would ensure that reception staff are suitably prepared to support the introduction of a new approach to consultations.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions:	Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School > Health Sciences > Social Science & Systems in Health (SSSH) Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine > Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Primary care (Medicine), Receptionists -- Interviews
Journal or Publication Title:	British Journal of General Practice
Publisher:	Royal College of General Practitioners
ISSN:	1478-5242
Official Date:	July 2018
Dates:	Date Event July 2018 Published 4 June 2018 Available 20 March 2018 Accepted
Volume:	68
Number:	672
Page Range:	e478-e486
DOI:	10.3399/bjgp18X697505
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access (Creative Commons)
Date of first compliant deposit:	21 March 2018
Date of first compliant Open Access:	11 June 2018
RIOXX Funder/Project Grant:	Project/Grant ID RIOXX Funder Name Funder ID 13/59/08 [NIHR] National Institute for Health Research http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000272
Related URLs:	Publisher

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