Telehealth has transformed healthcare delivery. What began as an emergency response during the pandemic has evolved into a cornerstone of digital health strategies across the NHS and beyond. From GP consultations to mental health check-ins, virtual care offers a level of accessibility that was once unimaginable.
Patients have embraced remote healthcare. They value the convenience, time-saving benefits, and improved access it provides, especially for follow-up appointments or when mobility and distance are barriers. But despite this enthusiasm, many clinicians remain unconvinced.
Concerns about care quality, workflow disruption, and diagnostic limitations persist. This growing misalignment between patient expectations and clinician acceptance poses a challenge for long-term integration.
So how do we reconcile these differences and align telehealth delivery with the priorities of both groups?
Clinician Skepticism: Rooted in Practical Concerns
Many healthcare professionals are cautious about the growing reliance on telehealth.
A McKinsey report (2022) echoes this sentiment, finding that while 76% of patients are interested in using telehealth going forward, only 57% of physicians feel comfortable offering it long term.
Their reservations are grounded in practical realities. Some clinicians are concerned about the perceived drop in care quality. Remote consultations can limit the ability to conduct physical exams, observe subtle cues, or assess complex conditions. For certain diagnoses, being hands-on remains essential. There’s also the concern about building patient rapport. Many doctors feel that virtual interactions lack the intimacy and trust fostered through face-to-face engagement.
Add to this the technical burden – unreliable connections, digital platforms that don’t integrate with electronic patient records, and poor digital literacy – and it’s no surprise that many clinicians approach telehealth with caution.
From my own research in community health settings, this hesitancy is not rooted in resistance to innovation. It’s a reflection of the need for systems, training, and workflows that support clinical confidence and protect patient safety. Clinicians, like any professionals, need tools that work seamlessly and training that respects the complexity of their work.
Why Patients Continue to Choose Virtual Care
Patients, on the other hand, are clear in their preferences. A report from the Office for National Statistics in 2023 revealed that nearly 40% of patients would opt for virtual consultations if given the choice, especially for routine check-ups, repeat prescriptions, and mental health support. Virtual care reduces travel, cuts down on time off work, and provides an easier route to care for people with chronic illnesses, disabilities, or caring responsibilities.
There’s a generational dimension too. Younger patients, used to the on-demand nature of digital services, often expect similar responsiveness from healthcare. For them, telehealth isn’t a stopgap. It’s a baseline service.
Yet even for older adults, when systems are easy to use and provide continuity with familiar clinicians, satisfaction remains high. The barriers are less about the format and more about how it’s delivered.
Creating a Balanced Model of Virtual and In-Person Care
The key to unlocking telehealth’s full potential lies in rethinking how and when it’s used. Virtual care should not be seen as a replacement for traditional healthcare but as an essential extension of it. It works best when deployed in a hybrid model – where in-person and remote appointments complement each other depending on clinical need, patient preference, and logistical feasibility.
One community clinician I interviewed worked with developed a simple but effective triage system. Based on clinical guidelines, symptoms were categorised as suitable for virtual care, not suitable, or requiring triage. This removed ambiguity and supported both scheduling teams and clinicians in choosing the right consultation format.
Such frameworks give clinicians a sense of control and clarity. They also support patients in understanding what to expect and when a face-to-face appointment might be necessary.
Training Clinicians for the Digital Frontline
For telehealth to succeed, we need to invest in training and ongoing support. Too often, clinicians are handed a webcam and a software link and expected to adapt on the fly. That’s not just unrealistic – it undermines confidence and safety.
Structured training in digital bedside – or rather, “webside” – manner is essential. This includes guidance on maintaining eye contact through a screen, managing distractions, and ensuring clear documentation. For specialist services, training should also include virtual examination techniques and digital triage protocols.
In my research of clinicians conducting virtual consultations, I’ve observed that competence breeds confidence. When clinicians feel equipped, they are far more likely to embrace digital innovations. Conversely, when digital systems are clunky, unintuitive, or disrupt their workflow, adoption quickly falters.
Designing for Experience: Clinician and Patient Alike
A successful telehealth programme considers both sides of the interaction. While much attention is paid to clinicians – and rightly so – the patient experience can’t be an afterthought. Digital literacy varies widely, as do device types and internet reliability. A patient using a smartphone in a rural area with limited connectivity will have a very different experience than someone on a high-speed desktop connection.
Healthcare organisations must map out these experiences across multiple scenarios and design for them proactively. This means testing platforms, offering technical support, and simplifying logins and interfaces. For clinicians, it means streamlining digital workflows and integrating telehealth into existing clinical systems rather than creating parallel processes.
Both sides need systems that work intuitively and reliably. Anything less erodes trust and increases friction.
A Path Forward: Evidence, Empathy and Innovation
The future of telehealth will be defined not by technology alone, but by how well it serves the people who use it. Aligning clinician and patient expectations requires transparent communication, robust clinical governance, and continuous feedback loops.
Academic research is beginning to catch up to the pace of telehealth adoption. Studies like those by Kruse et al. (2020) and Powell et al. (2017) emphasise that clear guidelines, organisational support, and ongoing evaluation are critical to success. My own research in community health trusts shows that clinicians are open to telehealth when it is implemented with care, tailored to patient needs, and supported with proper infrastructure.
We are still in the early stages of this transformation. But by addressing clinician concerns with practical solutions, recognising the validity of patient preferences, and designing systems that work for all users, we can build a model of virtual care that is not only sustainable, but genuinely better for everyone.
Telehealth is not a shortcut. It’s a strategic evolution – a way of extending care beyond clinic walls, improving access, and strengthening the patient-clinician relationship in new ways.
It’s time we built systems that reflect this promise, not just in policy, but in practice.
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