It is known that vulnerable groups, such as older people, people living in deprived areas or people from black, Asian and minority groups face more and different barriers in seeking help from primary care in general. They are also more likely to receive their cancer diagnosis later. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 triggered a rapid and widespread adoption of remote consulting in primary care. We do not yet know how the use of video and telephone GP consultations will affect diagnosis of cancer. It is also unknown how video and telephone GP consultations may affect vulnerable groups differently. While it may create further barriers, exacerbating existing patterns of late diagnosis, it could also be a facilitator in some ways or for some groups.
The project objectives are therefore as follows:
- Understand how remote (telephone and video) consultations in primary care influence help seeking for cancer symptoms, including vulnerable populations
- Explore preferences for an intervention for use by primary care to improve use of remote (telephone and video) consultations for vulnerable people
- Develop recommendations for an intervention for use by primary care to improve remote (telephone and video) consultations for vulnerable people
