Digital Access Now
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Digital Access Now. Internet and digital sources for accessing general practice and primary care services and information
IRAS ID
252570
Contact name
Helen Atherton
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Warwick
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, days
Research summary
Healthcare organisations around the world are interested in how digital technologies can help patients get in touch with their health care teams. In England, different ways of contacting your doctor, including telephone, email and online assessment, have been tried. These services are available from the National Health Service and a number of private companies who have developed them for a fee.
There is an annual survey that gathers information on patient’s opinion and use of their GP services. It only asks a few questions about the use of online services so we know very little about who is using them and for what purpose. Our survey will build on this annual survey to ask individuals about their knowledge and use of the internet and other online sources to access general practice services.
We will send the survey to a random sample of patients over the age of 18 years registered with a GP in the West Midlands (n=15,000). Each person will get a paper copy of the survey and a pre-paid envelope to return the completed survey. Everyone will also be given the option to complete the survey online if they prefer. Data gathered will be compared to other surveys to help us understand awareness and use of online services.REC name
North East - York Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/NE/0333
Date of REC Opinion
19 Oct 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion