Practices in the Midlands may pilot standing up appointments to see if it helps improve doctor health, it has been reported.

The project has been announced by Loughborough University, which is seeking volunteer GPs, who would be equipped with a “standing desk”.

Public health experts have urged offices to consider standing meetings and standing desks to reduce the amount of time workers spend sitting.

Loughborough says its project will investigate the feasibility of doing this in practice settings. It has gained support from the Royal College of GPs for the study.

The first phase of the research will involve a survey of 500 GPs to ask about their interest in the use of standing desks.

Once doctors have been recruited for the study, they will wear monitoring devices, which will tell how much time they spend sitting and how much time they spend working at the standing desk.

Researcher Professor Amanda Daley said: “Historically, GPs and patients sit during consultations to facilitate good doctor-patient-rapport – we have all heard the familiar greeting from our GPs to ‘take a seat’.

“But we also know that GPs spend a long time sitting down during the working day – which can contribute to poor health outcomes – and evidence suggests that doctors often neglect their own health.

“Therefore, we need to find ways of getting GPs on their feet and moving more often. Standing consultations could help GPs to be more active, as well as highlighting to patients the importance of reducing and breaking up their sitting time.”