Table 1 Physicians’ experiences

1: On the whole, I find that phone consultations come easily to me.

336

66%

2: I have become used to holding phone consultations.

336

74%

3: On the whole, I prefer holding phone consultations to holding in-person consultations.

328

19%

4: I experience less work pressure when holding phone consultations than when holding in-person consultations.

328

24%

5: I have more space to organize my own day when holding phone consultations than when holding in-person consultations.

334

50%

6: I am more worried about receiving a complaint/disciplinary complaint if I replace an in-person consultation with a phone consultation.

338

43%

7: I think that phone consultations will lead to more objections and appeal cases against the assessment outcomes.

332

59%

8: I am discussing the assessment with another physician (supervisor or peer) more often than I normally would.

318

14%

9: I am consulting with a colleague more often than I normally would.

326

16%

10: I am unable to conclude an assessment by phone if the patient does not agree with my verdict.

321

29%

11: The possibility that the patient may be recording the conversation makes me feel uncomfortable.

336

34%

12: I have concerns about my patient’s privacy when doing phone consultations.

334

14%

13: I find that a conversation in a phone consultation takes me more time than an in-person consultation.

334

32%

14: I find that reporting when doing a phone assessment takes me more time than reporting after an in-person consultation.

332

25%

15: I find that phone consultations take more effort on my part than in-person consultations.

334

49%

16: I find that patients are easy to reach for the phone consultations.

330

67%

17: I often experience problems with the connection during phone consultations

334

24%

18: I find it difficult to get an impression of someone without the observations of an in-person consultation.

336

59%

19: I ask more questions in order to get an impression during a phone consultation.

335

61%

20: I ask for more medical information from third parties than I normally would.

333

48%

21: When doing a phone consultation, I go along with a patient’s claim more than I normally would.

330

51%

22: I find it difficult to assess functional limitations when I have not seen a patient at an in-person consultation.

320

56%

23: I have no problem with removing a functional limitation given at an earlier assessment without seeing the patient at an in-person consultation.

313

28%

24: With a musculoskeletal disorder, I find that it is mostly necessary to hold an in-person consultation to establish the functional limitations.

339

66%

25: With a psychological disorder, I find that it is mostly necessary to hold an in-person consultation to establish the functional limitations.

338

36%

26: With persistent medically unexplained physical symptoms, I find that it is mostly necessary to hold an in-person consultation to establish the functional limitations.

335

67%

27: With a combination of physical and psychological disorders, I find that it is mostly necessary to hold an in-person consultation to establish the functional limitations.

339

64%

28: I have good contact with my patients during a phone consultation.

333

83%

29: I get the impression that patients are satisfied with a phone consultation as an alternative.

329

71%

30: If there is a language barrier, I find that it is feasible to do a phone consultation with an interpreter who has dialled in.

182

28%

31: I find that it is feasible to do a phone consultation when a supervisor has dialled into the conversation.

266

45%

32: I find it more difficult to ask sensitive questions during a phone consultation.

335

32%

33: I find it more difficult to assess whether a patient has understood me during a phone consultation.

337

55%

34: I am less afraid of aggression during a phone consultation.

319

48%

35: I find it easier to communicate bad news by phone.

323

24%