Sir, Skype consultations will mostly work in general practice because the majority of patients present with self-limiting illnesses (“Millions of patients to see doctor by Skype”, Jan 8). However, I predict some disasters when patients are presenting with an evolving serious condition. A few years ago, a very ill patient was admitted to my hospital, septic from a large abdominal abscess. This (and more) was treated successfully by an emergency operation. Four days before admission, the patient could only be offered a telephone conversation with her GP, who diagnosed a peptic ulcer.

Source: The Times January 09, 2019 00:00 UTC