Teachings After COVID-19 Outbreak From a Survey of Family Physicians.
J Am Board Fam Med
; 34(Suppl): S222-S224, 2021 Feb.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1099998
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Since December 2019, the dramatic escalation in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases worldwide has had a significant impact on health care systems. Family physicians (FPs) have played a critical role in the coordination of care. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
In April 2020, we performed an online prospective survey to assess the impact of the pandemic on FPs' practices.RESULTS:
Three hundred FPs were included. Mean age was 53.6 ± 13.5 years. Before the pandemic, 60.2% reported >75 outpatient visits/week, which reduced down to an average of <20/week for 79.8% of FPs; 24.2% of FPs discontinued home visits, while for 94.7% of FPs there was a >50% increase in the number of telephone consultations. Concern related to the risk of contagion was elevated (≥3/5 in 74.6%) and even higher to the risk of infecting relatives and patients (≥3/5 in 93.3%). The majority of FPs (87%) supported the role of telemedicine in the near future. Satisfaction regarding the network with hospitals/COVID-19-dedicated wards received a score ≤2/5 in 46.9% of cases.CONCLUSIONS:
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the working practices of FPs. A collaboration is needed with well-established networks between FPs and referral centers to provide new insights and opportunities to inform future working practices.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Practice Patterns, Physicians'
/
Attitude of Health Personnel
/
Family Practice
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
English
Journal:
J Am Board Fam Med
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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