A quarter of adults have not visited their GP in the past year, research published today by the Medical Council has revealed. It comes despite 94 per cent of Irish adults being registered with a GP, and marks a significant increase on 2020, when 15 per cent of people reported not having visited their GP.
The regulator of the medical profession in Ireland on Tuesday published public opinion research, which aims to understand attitudes towards and experiences of doctors, and the extent to which the public are taking an “active role” in their healthcare. It comes as the updated Guide to the Professional Conduct and Ethics for Registered Medical Practitioners was launched today in Dublin.
The research also provided insights into trust among a number of professions, with doctors ranking the second highest as the most trusted profession in Irish society, with 9 in 10 people (89%) saying they trusted their doctor to tell the truth. This was down from 93 per cent in 2020, while teachers ranked highest in terms of the most trustworthy profession.
The nationally representative survey found that 91 per cent of people surveyed trusted teachers, with respondents asked if they trusted a range of professions to “tell the truth.”
Trust in journalists and the media fell from 50% to 43% since 2020, while even less, 36%, of people said they trusted TDs to tell the truth – however this was a one per cent increase on 2020. Meanwhile, trust in the gardaí rose from 69 per cent to 76 per cent.
Trust in business leaders to tell the truth sat at just over half, while civil servants and trade union officials were trusted by 74 per cent and 67 per cent of people respectively.
A substantial decrease in the number of people visiting their GP as frequently was also recorded, while a significant increase in telemedicine services was noted. Roughly one in four (24%) of Irish adults said they had accessed telemedicine services, 21 per cent of whom said they had availed of GP services through telemedicine, a marked increase from 2 per cent in 2020.
Telemedicine usage was the highest among 35–49-year-olds, and those living in Dublin. The research also showed that people are turning to social media to contact a doctor who uses their social media platform to give medical advice, with 9% of people reporting having done so.
Of those who have used social media in this way, 11% said that they checked if the doctors were registered.
Speaking at the launch of the Guide in Dublin today, Dr Suzanne Crowe said, “We are delighted to present the updated Guide to doctors, patients and the wider public today. Its revisions and new additions reflect the most current, pertinent, and inclusive guidance on a wide range of scenarios that impact the medical profession.
“Our public opinion research shows that doctors continue to be among the most trusted professions in Ireland. This is a privilege, and one we do not take for granted.
“I would like to thank the Ethics Committee and our stakeholders for their active involvement, and to the public and medical community for their invaluable feedback during the process of updating the Guide”, Dr Crowe concluded.
Jantze Cotter, Executive Director, Head of Regulatory Policy and Standards, Medical Council added, “As the regulator of medical practitioners, the Medical Council’s remit is to protect the public by promoting and ensuring high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training, and competence among registered medical practitioners.
“As doctors and as patients, we look to those we trust to lead us. This Guide aims to support doctors in caring for patients. It is there for doctors to refer to throughout their professional career, providing principles-based guidance on possible scenarios. We hope that doctors feel supported and that the Guide helps to clarify the Medical Council’s advice in areas which may have previously been unclear.”
In April, the president of the Irish Medical Organisation, Dr John Cannon, said that at least one in 10 of the population do not have a full-time GP because so many family doctors have closed their patient lists.
Speaking at the IMO’s annual meeting, Dr Cannon said that “too few GPs means waiting times for GP appointments, with at least 10pc of the population being unable to sign up with a GP because their patient lists are at capacity”.
The meeting heard concerns that Ireland continues to have a disproportionate reliance on international medical graduates. There is also the challenge of having roughly three times the number of junior doctors who are not in training when compared to the UK and several other countries, with the meeting hearing that the imbalance creates safety concerns.