In 2017, private firm Babylon Health launched an app that allowed patients to launch video calls with a GP at any time of the day.
But current figures show that just 0.5 per cent of GP appointments in England are actually being made via video or online.
Academics from the University of Oxford interviewed 121 people, including patients and 55 GPs, to look at the possible benefits of the technology.
Some patients were quite positive about the technology, with those living in remote areas in particular praising its convenience.
But doctors found that it was “unsuited” to some of their patients, especially those with mental impairments or the elderly. Many doctors also said that telephone calls were “familiar and dependable” technology that almost everyone knows how to use.
“The relative advantage of video was perceived as minimal for most of the caseload of general practice, since many presenting problems could be sorted adequately and safely by telephone...