Articles

Bio-psycho-social characteristics and impact of musculoskeletal pain in one hundred children and adolescents consulting general practice

Eight percent of all child and adolescent general practice consultations are due to musculoskeletal conditions, with pain as the most frequent symptom. Despite the commonality of musculoskeletal pain, limited ...

Authors: Negar Pourbordbari, Martin Bach Jensen, Jens Lykkegaard Olesen, Sinead Holden and Michael Skovdal Rathleff

Group-tailored feedback on online mental health screening for university students: using cluster analysis

The method by which mental health screening result reports are given affects the user’s health behavior. Lists with the distribution of scores in various mental health areas is difficult for users to understan...

Authors: Seonmi Lee, Jiwoo Lim, Sangil Lee, Yoon Heo and Dooyoung Jung

Initial risk perception and feeling of preparedness of primary care physicians regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in Belgium, France and Spain in February 2020

The knowledge of risk perceptions in primary care could help health authorities to manage epidemics.

Authors: C Guerrisi, B Thomas, A Ordax Diez, D Van Cauteren, J E Lozano Alonso, S Moreels, A Falchi, T Vega Alonso, I Bonmarin, J Raude, A M Vilcu, T Hanslik, M Debin, L Rossignol, V Colizza, C Souty…

Factors associated with C-reactive protein testing when prescribing antibiotics in general practice: a register-based study

The use of C-reactive protein (CRP) tests has been shown to safely reduce antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs). The aim of this study was to explore patient and clinical factors...

Authors: Rikke Vognbjerg Sydenham, Malene Plejdrup Hansen, Ulrik Stenz Justesen, Line Bjørnskov Pedersen, Rune Munck Aabenhus, Sonja Wehberg and Dorte Ejg Jarbøl

Community perspective on family medicine and family physician in Saudi Arabia 2020

Despite the importance and advantages of family medicine, it has poorly developed in Arab communities when compared to other medical specialties. Therefore, in this study, we aim to investigate the perception ...

Authors: Manal Abdulaziz Murad, Rawan Maatouk Kheimi, Mohammed Majdi Toras, Rahaf Hussain Alem, Atheer Meshal Aljuaid, Jafar Naji Alobaidan, Hebah Yousef Binishaq, Abdulrahman Ahmed Asiri and Manar Khalid Sagga

Impact of patients’ beliefs about insulin on acceptance and adherence to insulin therapy: a qualitative study in primary care

Insulin therapy forms a cornerstone of pharmacological management of diabetes mellitus (DM). However, there remains a lack of acceptance and adherence to insulin, thereby contributing to poor DM control. This ...

Authors: Changwei Liu, Jacqueline De Roza, Chai Wah Ooi, Blessy Koottappal Mathew, Elya and Wern Ee Tang

A qualitative study of challenges and enablers faced by private general practitioners providing primary care to patients with complex needs in Singapore

Singapore faces an ageing population with increasingly complex healthcare needs, a problem which could be addressed by high quality primary care. Many patients with complex needs are not managed by private gen...

Authors: Peng Yong, Andrew Wong, Foong Yee, Sara Chan, Laysee Ong and Kheng Hock Lee

Delivering colon cancer survivorship care in primary care; a qualitative study on the experiences of general practitioners

With more patients in need of oncological care, there is a growing interest to transfer survivorship care from specialist to general practitioner (GP). The ongoing I CARE study was initiated in 2015 in the Net...

Authors: Julien A. M. Vos, Robin de Best, Laura A. M. Duineveld, Henk C. P. M. van Weert and Kristel M. van Asselt

Improving primary palliative care – a Delphi consensus study on measures for general practice in Germany

The majority of severely ill and dying people in Germany can be administered primary palliative care (PPC) by general practitioners (GP). However, the current provision of PPC does not match the needs of the p...

Authors: Esma Sümeyya Bilgin, Rojda Ülgüt, Nils Schneider and Stephanie Stiel

How did general practices organize care during the COVID-19 pandemic: the protocol of the cross-sectional PRICOV-19 study in 38 countries

General practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as the first point of contact for possibly infected patients and are responsible for short and long-term follow-up car...

Authors: E. Van Poel, P. Vanden Bussche, Z. Klemenc-Ketis and S. Willems

Attitudes & behaviors toward the management of tobacco smoking patients: qualitative study with French primary care physicians

Smoking cessation is a major public health issue. In France, primary care physicians (PCP) are the first contact points for tobacco management. The objective of this study was to understand how PCPs are involv...

Authors: Guillaume Coindard, Michaël Acquadro, Raphaël Chaumont, Benoit Arnould, Philippe Boisnault, Rachel Collignon-Portes, Didier Duhot, François Raineri, Béatrice Tugaut and Henri-Jean Aubin

Misbeliefs about non-specific low back pain and attitudes towards treatment by primary care providers in Spain: a qualitative study

To identify misbeliefs about the origin and meaning of non-specific chronic low back pain and to examine attitudes towards treatment by primary health care providers.

Authors: Ester García-Martínez, Jorge Soler-González, Joan Blanco-Blanco, Francesc Rubí-Carnacea, María Masbernat-Almenara and Fran Valenzuela-Pascual

What do patients experience? Interprofessional collaborative practice for chronic conditions in primary care: an integrative review

Improving the patient experience is one of the quadruple aims of healthcare. Therefore, understanding patient experiences and perceptions of healthcare interactions is paramount to quality improvement. This in...

Authors: Alexandra R. Davidson, Jaimon Kelly, Lauren Ball, Mark Morgan and Dianne P. Reidlinger

Physical examination performed by general practitioners in 5 community health service institutions in Beijing: an observational study

Physical examination is a core component of consultation. Little is known about the status quo of physical examinations performed by general practitioners in community health service institutions in China. The...

Authors: Yun Wei, Feiyue Wang, Zhaolu Pan, Meirong Wang, Guanghui Jin and Xiaoqin Lu

General practitioners’ experiences with, views of, and attitudes towards, general practice-based pharmacists: a cross-sectional survey

There is limited United Kingdom (UK) literature on general practice-based pharmacists’ (PBPs’) role evolution and few studies have explored general practitioners’ (GPs’) experiences on pharmacist integration i...

Authors: Ameerah S. Hasan Ibrahim, Heather E. Barry and Carmel M. Hughes

Are primary care and continuity of care associated with asthma-related acute outcomes amongst children? A retrospective population-based study

Having a primary care provider and a continuous relationship may be important for asthma outcomes. In this study, we sought to determine the association between 1) having a usual provider of primary care (UPC)...

Authors: Sarah Cooper, Elham Rahme, Sze Man Tse, Roland Grad, Marc Dorais and Patricia Li

Health care utilization following “digi-physical” assessment compared to physical assessment for infectious symptoms in primary care

The use of chat-based digital visits (eVisits) to assess infectious symptoms in primary care is rapidly increasing. The “digi-physical” model of care uses eVisits as the first line of assessment while assuming...

Authors: Artin Entezarjou, Maria Sjöbeck, Patrik Midlöv, Veronica Milos Nymberg, Lina Vigren, Ashkan Labaf, Ulf Jakobsson and Susanna Calling

The shift from old age to very old age: an analysis of the perception of aging among older people

The oldest-old (individuals over 90 years) are a fast-growing population. Understanding the perceptions of older people about very old age is the first step towards developing optimal geriatric care for an agi...

Authors: Emile Escourrou, Sarah Laurent, Jacques Leroux, Stéphane Oustric and Virginie Gardette

Validation of the revised Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ-R) in the primary care setting

Available tools measuring self-management in diabetes are often improperly validated or do not correlate with glucose metabolism. The Diabetes Self-Management Questionnaire (DSMQ-R) is a valid tool, that showe...

Authors: Bernadett Márkus, Csenge Hargittay, Barbara Iller, József Rinfel, Péter Bencsik, Ilona Oláh, László Kalabay and Krisztián Vörös

Stepwise implementation of a cardiovascular risk management care program in primary care

Primary care plays a pivotal role in sustainable cardiovascular risk management (CVRM) but little is known about the organizational process of implementing the guidelines. The aim of the study was to describe ...

Authors: Geert Smits, Monika Hollander, Sander van Doorn and Michiel Bots

Swiss GPs’ preferences for antidepressant treatment in mild depression: vignette-based quantitative analysis

GPs frequently prescribe antidepressants in mild depression. The aim of this study was to examine, how often Swiss GPs recommend antidepressants in various clinical presentations of mild depression and which f...

Authors: Michael P. Hengartner, Stefan Neuner-Jehle and Oliver Senn

Barriers and attitudes towards cervical cancer screening in primary healthcare in Poland - doctors’ perspective

Healthcare systems have adopted different strategies to reduce the burden of cervical cancer. In Poland, a population-based screening program was implemented in 2006, leading to a downward trend in cervical ca...

Authors: Katarzyna Nessler, Francis Ball, Sze Kay Florence Chan, Michal Chwalek, Anna Krztoń-Królewiecka and Adam Windak

Physiotherapists’ experiences of osteoarthritis guidelines in primary health care – an interview study

Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease, globally. Guidelines recommend information, exercise and, if needed, weight reduction as core treatment. There is a gap between evidence-based recommended care for ost...

Authors: Karin Sturesdotter Åkesson, Anne Sundén, Eva Ekvall Hansson and Kjerstin Stigmar

Earning opportunities and informal payment as influencing factors in medical students’ speciality choice

The Hungarian primary care system faces a severe shortage of family physicians. Medical students’ perceptions of family medicine need to be known and medical students need to be given appropriate and comprehen...

Authors: András Mohos, Thomas Frese, László Kolozsvári, József Rinfel, Albert Varga, Csenge Hargittay, Dalma Csatlós and Péter Torzsa

Patients’ perception of safety climate in Irish general practice: a cross-sectional study

Although patients have the potential to provide important information on patient safety, considerably fewer patient-report measures of safety climate (SC) have been applied in the primary care setting as compa...

Authors: Caoimhe Madden, Sinéad Lydon, Andrew W. Murphy and Paul O’Connor

Evaluation of a social determinants of health screening questionnaire and workflow pilot within an adult ambulatory clinic

There is increased recognition in clinical settings of the importance of documenting, understanding, and addressing patients’ social determinants of health (SDOH) to improve health and address health inequitie...

Authors: Rachel L. Berkowitz, Linh Bui, Zijun Shen, Alice Pressman, Maria Moreno, Stephanie Brown, Anne Nilon, Chris Miller-Rosales and Kristen M. J. Azar

Doctor-patient relationship improved during COVID-19 pandemic, but weakness remains

To assess the quality of the doctor-patient relationship (DPR) in China and possible influencing factors during the COVID-19 period from the patient’s perspective.

Authors: Yanan Zhou, Yuejiao Ma, Winson Fu Zun Yang, Qiuxia Wu, Qianjin Wang, Dongfang Wang, Honghong Ren, Yinli Luo, Dong Yang, Tieqiao Liu and Xiaoming Wu

Patients’ and clinicians’ perceptions of oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation: a systematic narrative review and meta-analysis

Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of developing a stroke by 20%. AF related strokes are associated with greater morbidity. Historically, warfarin was the anticoagulant of choice for stroke prevention...

Authors: Yeyenta Mina Osasu, Richard Cooper and Caroline Mitchell

The success of behavioral economics in improving patient retention within an intensive primary care practice

A minority of the U.S. population comprises a majority of health care expenses. Health system interventions for high-cost populations aim to improve patient outcomes while reducing costly over-utilization. Mis...

Authors: Phillip Groden, Alexandra Capellini, Erica Levine, Ania Wajnberg, Maria Duenas, Sire Sow, Bernard Ortega, Nia Medder and Sandeep Kishore

Prerequisites for providing effective support to family caregivers within the primary care setting – results of a study series in Germany

General Practitioners are considered to be well placed to monitor home-care settings and to respond specifically to family caregivers. To do this, they must be sensitive to the needs and expectations of caregi...

Authors: Julian Wangler and Michael Jansky

Patient perspectives on health care provider practices leading to an axial spondyloarthritis diagnosis: an exploratory qualitative research study

The average time to a diagnosis for people with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is 7-10 years. Delayed diagnosis may result in increased structural damage, worse physical function, and worse quality of life re...

Authors: Kate L. Lapane, Catherine Dubé, Katarina Ferrucci, Sara Khan, Kristine A. Kuhn, Esther Yi, Jonathan Kay and Shao-Hsien Liu

Acceptability of physician associate interns in primary care: results from a service evaluation

Physician associates (PA) form part of the policy-driven response to increased primary care demand and a general practitioner (GP) recruitment and retention crisis. However, they are novel to the primary care ...

Authors: Elizabeth Cottrell, Victoria Silverwood, Alex Strivens-Joyce, Lucy Minshull, John J. Edwards, Sarah Lawton, Matt Aiello and Sharon Turner

Unprofessional behaviour of GP residents and its remediation: a qualitative study among supervisors and faculty

Lapses in professionalism have profound negative effects on patients, health professionals, and society. The connection between unprofessional behaviour during training and later practice requires timely ident...

Authors: Pieter C. Barnhoorn, Vera Nierkens, Marianne C. Mak-van der Vossen, Mattijs E. Numans, Walther N. K. A. van Mook and Anneke W. M. Kramer

A prospective observational real world feasibility study assessing the role of app-based remote patient monitoring in reducing primary care clinician workload during the COVID pandemic

The novel coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19) has placed unprecedented strain on healthcare providers, in particular, primary care services. General practitioners (GP) have to effectively manage patients re...

Authors: Sachin Shailendra Shah, Afsana Safa, Kuldhir Johal, Dillon Obika and Sophie Valentine

Willingness, beliefs, and barriers regarding the COVID-19 vaccine in Saudi Arabia: a multiregional cross-sectional study

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide, and the vaccine remains the ultimate cornerstone to overcoming its long-term impact. Vaccine hesitancy might obstruct the effort to achieve herd im...

Authors: Noura Altulahi, Shouq AlNujaim, Azzam Alabdulqader, Abdullah Alkharashi, Assaf AlMalki, Faisal AlSiari, Yara Bashawri, Sarah Alsubaie, Dayel AlShahrani and Yara AlGoraini

Clinician perspectives on having point of care tests made available to them during out of hours home visiting

Little is known about clinicians’ perspectives on the use of point of care (POC) tests in assessment of acute illness during primary care out of hours (OOH) care. During a service improvement project, POC test...

Authors: S. Dixon, M. Glogowska, S. Garland, H. Hunt, D. Lasserson and G. Hayward

A qualitative exploration of nursing undergraduates’ perceptions towards scaffolding in the flipped classroom of the Fundamental Nursing Practice Course: a qualitative study

Although the benefits of using a flipped classroom in nursing education have been reported, there are few published studies attempting to understand students’ subjective experiences with scaffolding in a flipp...

Authors: Linghui Chen, Ting Lin and Siyue Tang

COPD – do the right thing

A gap exists between guidelines and real-world clinical practice for the management and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Although this has narrowed in the last decade, there is room f...

Authors: Hanna Sandelowsky, Ulla Møller Weinreich, Bernt B. Aarli, Josefin Sundh, Kristian Høines, Georgios Stratelis, Anders Løkke, Christer Janson, Christian Jensen and Kjell Larsson

Printed educational materials directed at Ontario family physicians do not improve adherence to guideline recommendations for diabetes management: a pragmatic, factorial, cluster randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN72772651]

Printed educational materials (PEMs) have long been used to inform clinicians on evidence-based practices. However, the evidence for their effects on patient care and outcomes is unclear. In Ontario, despite w...

Authors: Alison H. Howie, Neil Klar, Danielle M. Nash, Jennifer N. Reid and Merrick Zwarenstein

Effect of a price display intervention on laboratory test ordering behavior of general practitioners

Redundant use of diagnostic tests in primary care has shown to be a contributor to rising Dutch healthcare costs. A price display in the test ordering system of the electronic health records (EHRs) could poten...

Authors: Dennis M. J. Muris, Max Molenaers, Trang Nguyen, Paul W. M. P. Bergmans, Bernadette A. C. van Acker, Mariëlle M. E. Krekels and Jochen W. L. Cals

How concerned significant others experience Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) – a qualitative study

Heavy drinking causes serious harm, not only to the drinker but also to relationships and concerned significant others (CSOs). Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) is an intervention developed t...

Authors: Rikke Hellum, Randi Bilberg, Gallus Bischof and Anette Søgaard Nielsen

Nonspecific symptoms dominate at first contact to emergency healthcare services among cases with invasive meningococcal disease

An early appropriate response is the cornerstone of treatment for invasive meningococcal disease. Little evidence exists on how cases with invasive meningococcal disease present at first contact to emergency m...

Authors: Nichlas Hovmand, Helle Collatz Christensen, Lene Fogt Lundbo, Håkon Sandholdt, Gitte Kronborg, Perle Darsø, Jacob Anhøj, Stig Nikolaj Fasmer Blomberg, Asmus Thun Bisgaard and Thomas Benfield

Barriers and facilitators to diabetic retinopathy screening within Australian primary care

Despite recent incentives through Medicare (Australia’s universal health insurance scheme) to increase retinal screening rates in primary care, comprehensive diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening has not been re...

Authors: Matthew J. G. Watson, Peter J. McCluskey, John R. Grigg, Yogesan Kanagasingam, Judith Daire and Mohamed Estai

Self-management perspectives of elderly patients with multimorbidity and practitioners - status, challenges and further support needed?

Patients with multimorbidity (here defined as three or more chronic conditions) require constant treatment and care. Furthermore, they have to manage their health and diseases in daily life. Offering support t...

Authors: Amanda Breckner, Catharina Roth, Katharina Glassen and Michel Wensing

A qualitative study of high-performing primary care practices during the COVID-19 pandemic

Primary care practices have remained on the frontline of health care service delivery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of our study was to understand the early pandemic experience of primary care ...

Authors: Stephanie L. Albert, Margaret M. Paul, Ann M. Nguyen, Donna R. Shelley and Carolyn A. Berry

Correction to: The general practitioners perspective regarding registration of persistent somatic symptoms in primary care: a survey

Authors: Willeke M. Kitselaar, Rosalie van der Vaart, Madelon van Tilborg-den Boeft, Hedwig M. M. Vos, Mattijs E. Numans and Andrea W. M. Evers

The receipt of information by family physicians about their patient’s emergency department visits: a record linkage study of electronic medical records to health administrative data

Canadians are known to be frequent users of emergency department (ED) care. However, the exchange of information from ED visits to family physicians (FPs) is not well known. Our objectives were to determine wh...

Authors: Liisa Jaakkimainen, Hannah Chung, Hong Lu, Bogdan Pinzaru and Elisa Candido

Low-touch, team-based care for co-morbidity management in cancer patients: the ONE TEAM randomized controlled trial

As treatments for cancer have improved, more people are surviving cancer. However, compared to people without a history of cancer, cancer survivors are more likely to die of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Incre...

Authors: Leah L. Zullig, Mohammad Shahsahebi, Benjamin Neely, Terry Hyslop, Renee A. V. Avecilla, Brittany M. Griffin, Kacey Clayton-Stiglbauer, Theresa Coles, Lynda Owen, Bryce B. Reeve, Kevin Shah, Rebecca A. Shelby, Linda Sutton, Michaela A. Dinan, S. Yousuf Zafar, Nishant P. Shah…

Living with a chronic disease: insights from patients with a low socioeconomic status

Little is known about how patients with low socioeconomic status (SES) experience their chronic disease, and how it impacts health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Compared to their more affluent counterparts,...

Authors: Lisa Van Wilder, Peter Pype, Fien Mertens, Elke Rammant, Els Clays, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Pauline Boeckxstaens and Delphine De Smedt

Euthanasia in advanced dementia; the view of the general practitioners in the Netherlands on a vignette case along the juridical and ethical dispute

In the Netherlands, euthanasia has been regulated by law since 2002. In the past decade, a growing number of persons with dementia requested for euthanasia, and more requests were granted. A euthanasia request...

Authors: Jaap Schuurmans, Chantalle Crol, Boudewijn Chabot, Marcel Olde Rikkert and Yvonne Engels