Telemedicine and In-Person Consultations in Primary Care Delivery

Rapid urbanization and demographic changes taking place in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area region have led to great pressure on healthcare services in the region. Making sure that everyone in the region gets equal access to healthcare services has become very important for the local authorities. As an effort to cope with the increasing number of patients, the use of digital technologies has increased in the region's networks. The analysis of the effectiveness of the use of digital health care in comparison with face-to-face health care is necessary for effective healthcare in the region.

Figure 1 shows that the GOLD™ Family Doctor Health Leadership Program is an international general practice initiative jointly launched by the GBA Healthcare Group and local governments across the Greater Bay Area, leveraging cross-border healthcare collaboration between Hong Kong and the GBA

The background of GBA's medical approach is built on the integrated "Internet hospital" concept, illustrated through the operation of private health care facilities in the region. The idea of this public health approach is to relieve busy urban outpatient clinics by employing smart platforms, such as proprietary GOLD™ technology, for conducting low-friction administrative and medical operations at a distance (GBA Healthcare Group). Cross-regional research reveals that although the level of digital medical literacy is very high in urban regions such as Hong Kong, the implementation and integration of a unified cross-border medical network encounter specific challenges associated with payment schemes, policy variability, and funding (Fernández Coves et al., 2022). The analysis of this policy framework shows that there are several advantages along with some major institutional barriers. From a professional perspective, telemedicine helps in providing better primary care services through faster initial triaging, prescription renewals, and interpretation of diagnostic lab results without much physical travel (GBA Healthcare Group). 

On the other hand, significant medical problems arise due to intrinsic diagnostic shortcomings. Research involving views of patients indicates that despite the advantages of protecting individuals from infection and getting rid of geographically related barriers, most patients opt for in-person consultations owing to a strong need for a more accurate diagnosis and physical examination (Moulaei et al., 2023). Telemedicine technology is unable to provide doctors with necessary physical exams such as chest auscultation and palpation of the abdomen, which is necessary for diagnosing the acute condition. As a result, regional health policy stipulates that telemedicine should only act as a gateway to physical clinics.

Figure 2 Within-Region Gini Coefficients of Medical Service Levels in Guangzhou, 2017–2022.

Optimization of primary care within the GBA is contingent upon creating an integrated approach to healthcare that takes advantage of a hybrid format. Digital platforms allow for great flexibility and quickness of care when it comes to triaging and routine monitoring, but physical visits will never be replaced by complicated clinical diagnoses.

By Elva Lee

Bibliography

Fernández Coves, Andrea, et al. “Teleconsultation Adoption since COVID-19: Comparison of Barriers and Facilitators in Primary Care Settings in Hong Kong and the Netherlands.” Health Policy, vol. 126, no. 10, 1 Oct. 2022, pp. 933–944, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168851022002147, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2022.07.012.

‌“Gbahealthcare.” Gbahealthcare.com.hk, 2025, www.gbahealthcare.com.hk/solution_primary_gold_service.aspx.

Gong, Hanxiang, et al. “Analysis of Regional Differences, Dynamic Evolution, and Influencing Factors of Medical Service Levels in Guangzhou under the Health China Strategy.” Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, vol. Volume 17, Nov. 2024, pp. 2811–2828, https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s479911.

Moulaei, Khadijeh , et al. “Patients’ Perspectives and Preferences toward Telemedicine versus In-Person Visits: A Mixed-Methods Study on 1226 Patients.” BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, vol. 23, no. 1, 15 Nov. 2023, bmcmedinformdecismak.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12911-023-02348-4, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02348-4.