Patients are generally satisfied with the quality and convenience of consults carried out via real-time video with their usual GP, a new study reports.

The US research offers a clearer picture of how the reality of virtual visits matches up with patients’ expectations, especially when the visits are with a patient’s own primary care providers, says lead study author Dr Mary Reed, of Kaiser Permanente, Northern California.

Dr Reed and her team of researchers surveyed 1274 patients at the facility who had a scheduled video visit with a primary care provider in autumn 2015 to determine how well the technology and the medical care worked for them.

Nearly all of the participants had some previous experience using video calling, although it might have been for personal or professional meetings and not for a medical check-up.