1 in 3 UK Doctors Admit They Sometimes Get Faster Care Than General Public

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New research from Medscape UK examining the care doctors themselves receive from the NHS has found a third (34%) admit they get faster treatment than other patients.

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Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
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General Health, Health, Practice Management, Other Health, Patient, NHS, National Association Medical Staff Services, MRI, Workforce, Health literacy, British Medical Association, Diagnosis, Health care, Shorthand, Friends, Nursing, Medscape
Geotags: 
UNITED KINGDOM, EUROPE
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WEBMD HEALTH, MEDSCAPE, MEDSCAPE UK DOCTORS AS PATIENTS REPORT 2023, WEBMD HEALTH CORP.
Summary
Key Points: 
  • New research from Medscape UK examining the care doctors themselves receive from the NHS has found a third (34%) admit they get faster treatment than other patients.
  • In addition, doctors were more willing to refuse treatment options or insist on a specific course of treatment, with 56% of those surveyed having questioned their doctor’s choices.
  • Moreover, while some doctors have reported they receive better care, this view is far from universal,” said Dr Whyte.
  • The Medscape UK Doctors as Patients Report 2023 is available here: https://www.medscape.com/uk-doctors-as-patients-report-2023


New research from Medscape UK examining the care doctors themselves receive from the NHS has found a third (34%) admit they get faster treatment than other patients. The study also found a similar number (33%) who felt they often receive better care. In addition, doctors were more willing to refuse treatment options or insist on a specific course of treatment, with 56% of those surveyed having questioned their doctor’s choices. A total of 826 doctors completed the survey.

Half of doctors (51%) believed that they were ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ more likely to get unusual courses of treatment, such as not having to wait as long to be moved to the next and better treatment option.

Dr John Whyte, Medscape, commented on the findings: Doctors have a reputation for making the worst patients. What this often means in reality is that doctors have a high health literacy; meaning they understand diagnosis and treatment pathways. Healthcare professionals are able to speak in shorthand, which can inherently press the fast-forward button on treatment decisions.”

More than 1 in 5 doctors (22%) stated they were able to refer themselves to a specialist, skipping the lengthy process of a GP referral. A junior doctor stated that doctors had ‘more investigations and faster referral’ to specialists. One GP commented that she waited three weeks for an MRI for a ruptured ligament and ‘only got this because I personally spoke to orthopaedics to plead my case.’

“Maintaining a healthy NHS workforce is critical in tackling waiting lists, which only get longer when medical staff are off sick. Moreover, while some doctors have reported they receive better care, this view is far from universal,” said Dr Whyte.

An analysis from the British Medical Association shows that around 7.75 million people were waiting for treatment on the NHS as of August this year.1 A 2022 Medscape UK report revealed that more than 9 in 10 doctors (91%) have seen an increase in patients struggling to access medical healthcare services in the last five years. The current Medscape UK report notes that a third (33%) of doctors we surveyed declared that they would ‘often or sometimes’ seek treatment from friends who were also doctors.

The Medscape UK Doctors as Patients Report 2023 is available here: https://www.medscape.com/uk-doctors-as-patients-report-2023

- ENDS -

About Medscape UK Doctors as Patients Report 2023

Medscape surveyed 826 UK physicians between March and July 2023. The demographics of the respondents were:

  • Male: 53%
  • Female: 44%
  • Prefer not to say: 3%

About Medscape

Medscape, a subsidiary of WebMD Health Corp., is the leading source of clinical news, health information, and point-of-care tools for healthcare professionals. Medscape offers specialists, primary care doctors, and other health professionals the most robust and integrated medical information and educational tools. Medscape Education (medscape.org) is the leading destination for continuous professional development, consisting of more than 30 specialty-focused destinations offering thousands of free C.M.E. and C.E. courses and other educational programmes for doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.

About WebMD Health Corp.

WebMD, an Internet Brands company, is at the heart of the digital health revolution that is transforming the healthcare experience for consumers, patients, health care professionals, employers, health plans, and health systems. Through public and private online portals, mobile platforms, and health-focused publications, WebMD delivers leading-edge content and digital services that enable and improve decision-making, support and motivate health actions, streamline and simplify the health care journey, and improve patient care.

The WebMD Health Network includes WebMD Health, WebMD Ignite, Medscape, Jobson Healthcare Information, MediQuality, Frontline, Vitals Consumer Services, Aptus Health, PulsePoint, SanovaWorks, MedicineNet, eMedicineHealth, RxList, OnHealth, Medscape Education, and other owned WebMD sites. WebMD®, Medscape®, CME Circle®, Medpulse®, eMedicine®, MedicineNet®, theheart.org® and RxList® are among the trademarks of WebMD Health Corp. or its subsidiaries.

1 British Medical Association. Available at: https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/nhs-delivery-and-workforce/pressures/nhs-backlog-data-analysis. Accessed September 2023

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