Strengthening the integration of primary care in pandemic response plans: a qualitative interview study of Canadian family physicians.
Br J Gen Pract
; 73(730): e348-e355, 2023 05.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2271255
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
As the first point of contact in health care, primary care providers play an integral role in pandemic response. Despite this, primary care has been overlooked in previous pandemic plans, with a lack of emphasis on ways in which the unique characteristics of family practice could be leveraged to create a more effective response.AIM:
To explore family physicians' perceptions of the integration of primary care in the COVID-19 pandemic response. DESIGN ANDSETTING:
Descriptive qualitative approach examining family physician roles during the COVID-19 pandemic across four regions in Canada.METHOD:
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with family physicians and participants were asked about their roles during each pandemic stage, as well as facilitators and barriers they experienced in performing these roles. Interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis approach was employed to develop a unified coding template across the four regions and identify recurring themes.RESULTS:
In total, 68 family physicians completed interviews. Four priorities for integrating primary care in future pandemic planning were identified 1) improve communication with family physicians; 2) prioritise community-based primary care; 3) leverage the longitudinal relationship between patients and family physicians; and 4) preserve primary care workforce capacity. Across all regions, family physicians felt that primary care was not well incorporated into the COVID-19 pandemic response.CONCLUSION:
Future pandemic plans require greater integration of primary care to ensure the delivery of an effective and coordinated pandemic response. Strengthening pandemic preparedness requires a broader reconsideration and better understanding of the central role of primary care in health system functioning.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Physicians, Family
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
North America
Language:
English
Journal:
Br J Gen Pract
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
BJGP.2022.0350
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