Articles

Patients’ experiences of the use of point-of-care ultrasound in general practice – a cross-sectional study

The use of point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) performed by general practitioners (GPs) in primary care settings is increasing. Previous studies have focused on GP-reported outcomes and little is known about...

Authors: Camilla Aakjær Andersen, John Brodersen, Torsten Rahbek Rudbæk and Martin Bach Jensen

Increasing the completion rate of the advance directives in primary care setting – a randomized controlled trial

The completion rate of Advance Directives (ADs) has been low. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of two interventions 1) active counseling sessions coupled with passive patient education pamphlets, a...

Authors: Cunzhi Xu, Shi Yan, Jade Chee, Emily Pui-Yan Lee, Han Wei Lim, Sarah Woon Ching Lim and Lian Leng Low

Type 2 diabetes patients’ views on prevention of hypoglycaemia – a mixed methods study investigating self-management issues and self-identified causes of hypoglycaemia

Hypoglycaemia is a common and potentially avoidable adverse event in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). It can reduce quality of life, increase healthcare costs, and reduce treatment success. We investigated s...

Authors: Stijn Crutzen, Tessa van den Born-Bondt, Petra Denig and Katja Taxis

Conditions and barriers for quality improvement work: a qualitative study of how professionals and health centre managers experience audit and feedback practices in Swedish primary care

High quality primary care is expected to be the basis of many health care systems. Expectations on primary care are rising as societies age and the burden of chronic disease grows. To stimulate adherence to gu...

Authors: Eva Arvidsson, Sofia Dahlin and Anders Anell

Management of penicillin allergy in primary care: a qualitative study with patients and primary care physicians

Six percent of patients are allergic to penicillin according to their medical records. While this designation protects a small number of truly allergic patients from serious reactions, those who are incorrectl...

Authors: Marta Wanat, Sibyl Anthierens, Christopher C. Butler, Louise Savic, Sinisa Savic, Sue H. Pavitt, Jonathan A. T. Sandoe and Sarah Tonkin-Crine

Is therapeutic inertia present in hyperglycaemia, hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia management among adults with type 2 diabetes in three health clinics in Malaysia? a retrospective cohort study

Good-quality evidence has shown that early glycaemic, blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol control in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) leads to better outcomes. In spite of that, diseases control have been inad...

Authors: Boon-How Chew, Husni Hussain and Ziti Akthar Supian

The provision of dementia care in general practice: practice nurse perceptions of their role

Primary care nurses can assist General Practitioner’s to identify cognition concerns and support patient health self-management for those experiencing cognitive impairment or dementia. This support may lead to...

Authors: Caroline Gibson, Dianne Goeman, Alison Hutchinson, Mark Yates and Dimity Pond

Information meetings on end-of-life care for older people by the general practitioner to stimulate advance care planning: a pre-post evaluation study

To increase knowledge about options people have concerning end-of-life-care issues, General Practitioners (GPs) can organise meetings to inform their older patients. We evaluated these meetings, using the foll...

Authors: Annicka G. M. van der Plas, H. Roeline W. Pasman, Roosmarijne M. K. Kox, Marianne Ponstein, Bea Dame and Bregje D. Onwuteaka-Philipsen

Use of alternative consultation forms in Danish general practice in the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic – a qualitative study

Attempts to manage the COVID-19 pandemic have led to radical reorganisations of health care systems worldwide. General practitioners (GPs) provide the vast majority of patient care, and knowledge of their expe...

Authors: Tina Drud Due, Thorkil Thorsen and Julie Høgsgaard Andersen

Association between doctor-patient familiarity and patient-centred care during general practitioner's consultations: a direct observational study in Chinese primary care practice

Patient-centred care is a core attribute of primary care. Not much is known about the relationship between patient-centred care and doctor-patient familiarity. This study aimed to explore the association betwe...

Authors: Chenwen Zhong, Mengping Zhou, Zhuojun Luo, Cuiying Liang, Lina Li and Li Kuang

Leveraging electronic health records to improve management of noncommunicable diseases at primary healthcare centres in Saudi Arabia: a qualitative study

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) can contribute to the earlier detection and better treatment of chronic diseases by improving accuracy and accessibility of patient data. The Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH) imp...

Authors: Ahmed Hazazi and Andrew Wilson

Clinical laboratory services for primary healthcare centers in urban cities: a pilot ACO model of ten primary healthcare centers

Primary healthcare centers (PHC) ensure that patients receive comprehensive care from promotion and prevention to treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care in a familiar environment. It is designed to pro...

Authors: Soha A. Tashkandi, Ali Alenezi, Ismail Bakhsh, Abdullah AlJuryyan, Zahir H AlShehry, Saeed AlRashdi, Maryjane Guzman, Marvin Pono, Franklin Lim, April Rose Tabudlong, Lamees Elwan, Musa Fagih and Ahmad Aboabat

Mobile application for monitoring patients under home oxygen therapy: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Mobile technologies have become capable of changing the paradigm of healthcare services. A clear example is that, nowadays, these technologies are an important instrument for data collection processes, epidemi...

Authors: Anisbed Naranjo-Rojas, Luis Ángel Perula-de-Torres, Freiser Eceomo Cruz-Mosquera and Guillermo Molina-Recio

Patient perspectives on tablet-based technology to collect risk factor information in primary care

Primary care provides an opportunity to introduce prevention strategies and identify risk behaviours. Algorithmic information technology such as the Risk Factor Identification Tool (RFIT) can support primary c...

Authors: Leanne Kosowan, Alan Katz, Gayle Halas and Alexander Singer

Correction to: Characteristics of a COVID-19 confirmed case series in primary care (COVID-19-PC project): a cross-sectional study

Authors: Eloisa Rogero-Blanco, Vera González-García, Rodrigo Medina García, Pilar Muñoz-Molina, Santiago Machin-Hamalainen and Juan A. López-Rodríguez

Factors influencing primary care physicians’ prescribing behavior of anticoagulant therapy for the management of patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation in Singapore: a qualitative research study

Oral anticoagulant therapy use in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) remains suboptimal in Singapore, despite the availability of both warfarin and non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Pri...

Authors: Shera Chaterji, Lay Geok Lian, Ting Yee Lee, Liwei Chua, Sabrina Yi-Mei Wee, Sui Ling Yap, Dhana Letchimy K and Ngiap Chuan Tan

Utilization of community health care centers and family doctor contracts services among community residents: a community‐based analysis in Shenzhen, China

Family doctor contract services (FDCS) began in China in 2016. Shenzhen, one of the most developed cities in China, also implemented a family doctor (FD) policy in 2017. The objectives of this study were to id...

Authors: Qingming Zheng, Lu Shi, Tiantian Pang and Willie Leung

Managing diabetes mellitus with comorbidities in primary healthcare facilities in urban settings: a qualitative study among physicians in Odisha, India

To explore the perceived barriers and facilitators in the management of the patients having diabetes with comorbidities by primary care physicians.

Authors: Sandipana Pati, Sanghamitra Pati, Marjan van den Akker, F. G. Schellevis, Krushna Chandra Sahoo and Jako S. Burgers

A comparative assessment of two tools designed to support patient safety culture in UK general practice

The NHS has recognised the importance of a high quality patient safety culture in the delivery of primary health care in the rapidly evolving environment of general practice. Two tools, PC-SafeQuest and MapSaf...

Authors: Ian Litchfield, Kate Marsden, Lucy Doos, Katherine Perryman, Anthony Avery and Sheila Greenfield

Systematic review of international clinical guidelines for the promotion of physical activity for the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Cardiovascular diseases are the world’s leading cause of morbidity and mortality. An active lifestyle is one of the cornerstones in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. An initial step in guiding ...

Authors: N. Aerts, D. Le Goff, M. Odorico, J. Y. Le Reste, P. Van Bogaert, L. Peremans, G. Musinguzi, P. Van Royen and H. Bastiaens

Reorganisation of GP surgeries during the COVID-19 outbreak: analysis of guidelines from 15 countries

General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in managing the COVID-19 outbreak. However, they may encounter difficulties adapting their practices to the pandemic. We provide here an analysis of guidelines for t...

Authors: Rosy Tsopra, Paul Frappe, Sven Streit, Ana Luisa Neves, Persijn J. Honkoop, Ana Belen Espinosa-Gonzalez, Berk Geroğlu, Tobias Jahr, Heidrun Lingner, Katarzyna Nessler, Gabriella Pesolillo, Øyvind Stople Sivertsen, Hans Thulesius, Raluca Zoitanu, Anita Burgun and Shérazade Kinouani

Examining primary care physician rationale for not following geriatric choosing wisely recommendations

The objective is to understand why physicians order tests or treatments in older adults contrary to published recommendations.

Authors: Theresa A. Rowe, Tiffany Brown, Jason N. Doctor, Jeffrey A. Linder and Stephen D. Persell

The mental health crises of the families of COVID-19 victims: a qualitative study

The bereaved families of COVID-19 victims are among the most vulnerable social groups in the COVID-19 pandemic. This highly infectious and contagious disease has afflicted these families with numerous psycholo...

Authors: Fateme Mohammadi, Khodayar Oshvandi, Farshid Shamsaei, Fateme Cheraghi, Masoud Khodaveisi and Mostafa Bijani

Shared decision making and patient-centeredness for patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus in primary care—results of the cluster-randomised controlled DEBATE trial

We investigate whether an educational intervention of GPs increases patient-centeredness and perceived shared decision making in the treatment of patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus?

Authors: Anja Wollny, Christin Löffler, Eva Drewelow, Attila Altiner, Christian Helbig, Anne Daubmann, Karl Wegscheider, Susanne Löscher, Michael Pentzek, Stefan Wilm, Gregor Feldmeier and Sara Santos

Contemporary treatment of anxiety in primary care: a systematic review and meta-analysis of outcomes in countries with universal healthcare

Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent mental health conditions and are managed predominantly in primary care. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of psychological and pharmacological treatments...

Authors: Erin L. Parker, Michelle Banfield, Daniel B. Fassnacht, Timothy Hatfield and Michael Kyrios

PRimary care rEsponse to domestic violence and abuse in the COvid-19 panDEmic (PRECODE): protocol of a rapid mixed-methods study in the UK

The implementation of lockdowns in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a system switch to remote primary care consulting at the same time as the incidence of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) incre...

Authors: Eszter Szilassy, Estela Capelas Barbosa, Sharon Dixon, Gene Feder, Chris Griffiths, Medina Johnson, Anna De Simoni, Vari Wileman, Jasmina Panovska-Griffiths and Anna Dowrick

Cost effectiveness of using Faecal Immunochemical Testing (FIT) as an initial diagnostic investigation for patients with lower gastrointestinal symptoms suggestive of malignancy

There has been an increase in the numbers of patients presenting to primary care with suspected colorectal malignancy and subsequently an increase in demand for endoscopy. This study aims to forecast the cost ...

Authors: CC Kearsey, C Graham, HS Lobb, J Chacko, R Weatherburn and PS Rooney

Development of a complex intervention to improve mobility and participation of older people with vertigo, dizziness and balance disorders in primary care: a mixed methods study

Vertigo, dizziness and balance disorders (VDB) are common in older people and cause restrictions in mobility and social participation. Due to a multifactorial aetiology, health care is often overutilised, but ...

Authors: Verena Regauer, Eva Seckler, Eva Grill, Richard Ippisch, Klaus Jahn, Petra Bauer and Martin Müller

Improving the precision of depression diagnosis in general practice: a cluster-randomized trial

Methods to enhance the accuracy of the depression diagnosis continues to be of relevance to clinicians. The primary aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic precision of two different diagnostic strateg...

Authors: Ursula Ødum Brinck-Claussen, Nadja Kehler Curth, Kaj Sparle Christensen, Annette Sofie Davidsen, John Hagel Mikkelsen, Marianne Engelbrecht Lau, Merete Lundsteen, Claudio Csillag, Carsten Hjorthøj, Merete Nordentoft and Lene Falgaard Eplov

Clinical diagnosis and treatment of common respiratory tract infections in relation to microbiological profiles in rural health facilities in China: implications for antibiotic stewardship

This paper tries to describe prevalence and patterns of antibiotics prescription and bacteria detection and sensitivity to antibiotics in rural China and implications for future antibiotic stewardship.

Authors: Xingrong Shen, Jilu Shen, Yaping Pan, Jing Cheng, Jing Chai, Karen Bowker, Alasdair MacGowan, Isabel Oliver, Helen Lambert and Debing Wang

Beliefs and practices among primary care physicians during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany): an observational study

During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic various ambulatory health care models (SARS-CoV-2 contact points: Subspecialised Primary Care Practices, Fever Clinics, and Special Places for Corona-Testing) wer...

Authors: Catharina Roth, Amanda Breckner, Sophia Moellinger, Simon Schwill, Frank Peters-Klimm, Joachim Szecsenyi, Sandra Stengel and Michel Wensing

A cluster randomized trial evaluating a teachable moment communication process for tobacco cessation support

This study examines the uptake of a clinician-focused teachable moment communication process (TMCP) and its impact on patient receipt of tobacco cessation support. The TMCP is a counseling method that uses pat...

Authors: Susan A. Flocke, Elizabeth L. Albert, Steven A. Lewis, Thomas E. Love, Jeanmarie C. Rose, David C. Kaelber and Eileen L. Seeholzer

Influenza vaccination during the coronavirus pandemic: intention to vaccinate among the at-risk population in the Central Catalonia Health Region (VAGCOVID)

Influenza is a major public health issue, with the primary preventive measure being an annual influenza vaccination. Nevertheless, vaccination coverage among the at-risk population is low. Our understanding of...

Authors: Anna Bonet-Esteve, Raquel Muñoz-Miralles, Carla Gonzalez-Claramunt, Ana M Rufas, Xavier Pelegrin Cruz and Josep Vidal-Alaball

Clinical characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia diagnosed in a primary care practice in Madrid (Spain)

Possible cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were diagnosed in primary care in Madrid, some of these cases had pneumonia. Most of the SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia published data came from hospitalised patients. This study s...

Authors: Marina Guisado-Clavero, Ana Herrero Gil, Marta Pérez Álvarez, Marta Castelo Jurado, Ana Herrera Marinas, Vanesa Aguilar Ruiz, Ileana Gefaell Iarrondo, Miguel Menéndez Orenga and Sara Ares-Blanco

Deployment of the consultation-liaison model in adult and child-adolescent psychiatry and its impact on improving mental health treatment

Little information exists on the perceptions of psychiatrists regarding the implementation and various impacts of the consultation-liaison model. This model has been used in Quebec (Canada) through the functio...

Authors: M.-J. Fleury, G. Grenier, L. Gentil and P. Roberge

Burnout and health status differences among primary healthcare professionals in Portugal

This paper is focused on two indicators which may be considered as proxies of individuals’ well-being: self-assessed health and burnout intensity. There is little research relating these concepts with the type...

Authors: Pedro L. Ferreira, Vitor Raposo, Aida Isabel Tavares and Ana Pinto

Long-term condition management for prisoners: improving the processes between community and prison

Prisoner populations have a disproportionately high prevalence of risk factors for long-term conditions (LTCs), and movement between community and prisons is a period of potential disruption in the ongoing mon...

Authors: NMJ Wright, F Hankins and P Hearty

May direct-to-consumer genetic testing have an impact on general practitioners’ daily practice? a cross-sectional study of patients’ intentions towards this approach

Direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT) offers individuals access to information on their probable risks of suffering from a wide range of chronic diseases. General practitioners (GPs) will probably play a ...

Authors: Christine Cohidon, Regula Cardinaux, Jacques Cornuz, Robin Chenal, Béatrice Desvergne, Idris Guessous, Daniela Cerqui and Daniel Widmer

Type 2 diabetes and COPD: treatment in the right healthcare setting? An observational study

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and COPD are chronic medical conditions, for which patients need lifelong healthcare. The aim of this study is to examine in which healthcare setting patients with T2DM and COPD receive ...

Authors: R. P. Willink, Rimke C. Vos, I. Looijmans-van den Akker and Huberta E. Hart

Patient and family views of team functioning in primary healthcare teams with nurse practitioners: a survey of patient-reported experience and outcomes

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have been added to primary healthcare teams to improve access to care. Team processes, including communication and decision-making, explicate how patients and families view team funct...

Authors: Kelley Kilpatrick, Eric Tchouaket, Nicolas Fernandez, Mira Jabbour, Carl-Ardy Dubois, Lysane Paquette, Véronique Landry, Nathalie Gauthier and Marie-Dominique Beaulieu

Assessing the feasibility and acceptability of a cluster-randomized study of cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia in a primary care setting

Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic insomnia (CBT-i) is the treatment of choice for this condition but is underutilized in patients who attend primary care. The purpose of the present feasibility-pilot st...

Authors: Isabel Torrens, Magdalena Esteva, Caterina Vicens, María Rosa Pizá-Portell, María Clara Vidal-Thomàs, Cristina Vidal-Ribas, Patricia Lorente-Montalvo and Elena Torres-Solera

Treating epistaxis – who cares for a bleeding nose? A secondary data analysis of primary and secondary care

The primary objective was to describe outpatient treatment of epistaxis among different physicians based on a large patient population over a period of 10 years. The secondary objective was to evaluate the val...

Authors: Annina E. Althaus, Jonas Lüske, Ulrike Arendt, Michael Dörks, Michael H. Freitag, Falk Hoffmann and Kathrin Jobski

Role of caregiver factors in outpatient medical follow-up post-stroke: observational study in Singapore

Outpatient medical follow-up post-stroke is not only crucial for secondary prevention but is also associated with a reduced risk of rehospitalization. However, being voluntary and non-urgent, it is potentially...

Authors: Shilpa Tyagi, Gerald Choon-Huat Koh, Nan Luo, Kelvin Bryan Tan, Helen Hoenig, David B. Matchar, Joanne Yoong, Angelique Chan, Kim En Lee, N. Venketasubramanian, Edward Menon, Kin Ming Chan, Deidre Anne De Silva, Philip Yap, Boon Yeow Tan, Effie Chew…

Managing COVID-19 related distress in primary care: principles of assessment and management

COVID-19 will cause normal feelings of worry and stress and many of those who experience higher levels of distress will experience resolution of their symptoms as society returns to pre-COVID-19 functioning. O...

Authors: Laurence Astill Wright, Sam Gnanapragasam, Anthony J. Downes and Jonathan I. Bisson

The role of personalised professional relations across care sectors in achieving high continuity of care

High continuity of care has a positive impact on health outcomes, but insight into the mechanisms underlying this impact is limited. Information continuity, on which our study focuses, is especially important ...

Authors: Johanna Forstner, Jasmin Bossert, Aline Weis, Nicola Litke, Cornelia Strassner, Joachim Szecsenyi and Michel Wensing

Individual-level socioeconomic status and contact or familiarity with people with mental illness: a cross-sectional study in Wuhou District, Chengdu, Southwest China

People with mental illness (PWMI) often suffer from public stigma, which can make them unwilling to seek help and reduce access to early treatment. The aims of this study were to determine attitudes towards PW...

Authors: Mengmeng Wang, Ya Wang, Jiajun Xu, Na Meng, Xiaolin Li, Zheng Liu and Junqiang Huang

Making care more patient centered; experiences of healthcare professionals and patients with multimorbidity in the primary care setting

The present study describes how primary care can be improved for patients with multimorbidity, based on the evaluation of a patient-centered care (PCC) improvement program designed to foster the eight PCC dime...

Authors: Sanne Jannick Kuipers, Anna Petra Nieboer and Jane Murray Cramm

The experience of Australian general practice patients at high risk of poor health outcomes with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has raised concerns about the potential decrease in access and utilisation of general practice services and its impact on patient care. In March 2020, the Australian Gove...

Authors: Sara Javanparast, Leigh Roeger, Yuen Kwok and Richard L Reed

Reducing prescribing of benzodiazepines in older adults: a comparison of four physician-focused interventions by a medical regulatory authority

The inappropriate and/or high prescribing of benzodiazepine and ‘Z’ drugs (BDZ +) is a major health concern. The purpose of this study was to determine whether physician or pharmacist led interventions or a si...

Authors: Nigel Ashworth, Nicole Kain, Delaney Wiebe, Nancy Hernandez-Ceron, Ed Jess and Karen Mazurek

Characteristics of a COVID-19 confirmed case series in primary care (COVID-19-PC project): a cross‐sectional study

To estimate the prevalence of symptoms and signs related to a COVID-19 case series confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for SARS-CoV-2. Risk factors and the associated use of health services will also ...

Authors: Eloisa Rogero-Blanco, Vera González-García, Rodrigo Medina García, Pilar Muñoz-Molina, Santiago Machin-Hamalainen and Juan A. López-Rodríguez