With GP appointments increasingly hard to get, digital consultations are being hailed as a way to ease the pressure on the NHS. But would people feel comfortable talking about their medical problems through a screen? Canvas8 spoke to 20 Britons to discover how they’d prefer to reach their doctor.

Although 72% of US internet users search for health info online, just 12% can adequately evaluate what they find. Canvas8 spoke with Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth and Melissa Johnson, co-authors of research about a health literacy programme, to learn how people can improve their Googling.

The number of people Googling symptoms and diagnosing themselves has reached worrying proportions, with 20% of Brits now turning to the web rather than visiting a GP. Be Your Own Doctor is a new programme from Channel 4 that wants to help viewers navigate this potentially confusing world.

In the UK, the NHS is completely ingrained into our culture. It’s an institution to be proud of, with paying for healthcare a distinctly alien concept for most. Push Doctor is a new service that could be set to change this, providing a convenient – and relatively cheap – alternative to a GP.