Group GP appointments don’t improve outcomes, study reports

Shared appointments in primary care involving several patients with the same condition, also known as group consultations, do not improve health outcomes or reduce the use of services, concludes a study published in BMJ Open.1

Researchers from the universities of Leeds and Newcastle looked at 29 randomised controlled trials of shared medical appointments in primary care involving adults with one or more long term conditions. Of these, 25 studies focused on patients with diabetes.

Group consultations can …