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Background: In the UK, general practitioners (GPs) are the most commonly used providers of care for emotional concerns.Objective: To update and synthesize literature on barriers and facilitators to GP-patient communication about emotional concerns in UK primary care.Design: Systematic review and qualitative synthesis.Method: We conducted a systematic search on MEDLINE (OvidSP), PsycInfo and EMBASE, supplemented by citation chasing. Eligible papers focused on how GPs and adult patients in the UK communicated about emotional concerns. Results were synthesized using thematic analysis.Results: Across 30 studies involving 342 GPs and 720 patients, four themes relating to barriers were: (i) emotional concerns are difficult to disclose; (ii) tension between understanding emotional concerns as a medical condition or arising from social stressors; (iii) unspoken assumptions about agency resulting in too little or too much involvement in decisions and (iv) providing limited care driven by little time. Three facilitative themes were: (v) a human connection improves identification of emotional concerns and is therapeutic; (vi) exploring, explaining and negotiating a shared understanding or guiding patients towards new understandings and (vii) upfront information provision and involvement manages expectations about recovery and improves engagement in treatment.Conclusion: The findings suggest that treatment guidelines should acknowledge: the therapeutic value of a positive GP-patient relationship; that diagnosis is a two-way negotiated process rather than an activity strictly in the doctor's domain of expertise; and the value of exploring and shaping new understandings about patients' emotional concerns and their management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community health workers (CHW) are an integral part of primary health care re-engineering in South Africa. Cape Town is developing community-orientated primary care, with a central role for CHWs. Their role in human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, maternal and child health has been articulated, but is less clear for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Non-communicable diseases are now a major contributor to the burden of disease. The aim was to explore the current role of CHWs regarding NCDs in the Eastern sub-district of Cape Town, South Africa. Methods: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study made use of non-participant observation and qualitative interviews with CHWs, their managers, and nurse coordinators. Data from nine semi-structured interviews and ten observations were analysed with the framework method and Atlas-ti. Results: The CHWs were embedded in their communities and provided services via support groups, household visits and delivery of medication. They linked people to care with assistance of nurse coordinators. They could also provide physical care in the home. They lacked the ability to counsel people on the risk factors for NCDs and their role in rehabilitation and palliative care was unclear. More nurse coordinators were needed to provide supportive supervision. Inter-sectoral collaboration was weak and hindered CHWs from addressing social issues. More standardised and comprehensive training should equip CHWs for health promotion and disease prevention during household visits. Data collected in the community needed to be analysed, reported on and integrated with data from the primary care facility. This should also contribute to a community diagnosis. Their relationship with facility-based members of the primary health care team needed to be improved. Attention needed to be given to the requirements for and conditions of employment, as well as working hours and remuneration. Some equipment was absent and hindered their services for NCDs. Conclusions: CHWs have the potential to provide a comprehensive approach to NCDs, but community-orientated primary care needs to be strengthened in many of the key areas to support their activities. In relation to NCDs, they need training in basic and brief behaviour change counselling and risk factors as well as in the areas of rehabilitation and palliative care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improved discharge arrangements and targeted post-discharge follow-up can reduce the risk of adverse events after hospital discharge for elderly patients. Although more care is to shift from specialist to primary care, there are few studies on post-discharge interventions run by primary care. A generic care pathway, Patient Trajectory for Home-dwelling elders (PaTH) including discharge arrangements and follow-up by primary care, was developed and introduced in Central Norway Region in 2009, applying checklists at defined stages in the patient trajectory. In a previous paper, we found that PaTH had potential of improving follow-up in primary care. The aim of this study was to establish the effect of PaTH-compared to usual care-for elderly in need of home care services after discharge from hospital.Methods: We did an unblinded, cluster randomised controlled trial with 12 home care clusters. Outcomes were measured at the patient level during a 12-month follow-up period for the individual patient and analysed applying linear and logistic mixed models. Primary outcomes were readmissions within 30 days and functional level assessed by Nottingham extended ADL scale. Secondary outcomes were number and length of inpatient hospital care and nursing home care, days at home, consultations with the general practitioners (GPs), mortality and health related quality of life (SF-36).Results: One-hundred and sixty-three patients were included in the PaTH group (six clusters), and 141 patients received care as usual (six clusters). We found no statistically significant differences between the groups for primary and secondary outcomes except for more consultations with the GPs in PaTH group (p = 0.04). Adherence to the intervention was insufficient as only 36% of the patients in the intervention group were assessed by at least three of the four main checklists in PaTH, but this improved over time.Conclusions: Lack of adherence to PaTH rendered the study inconclusive regarding the elderly's functional level, number of readmissions after hospital discharge, and health care utilisation except for more consultations with the GPs. A targeted exploration of prerequisites for implementation is recommended in the pre-trial phase of complex intervention studies.Trial Registration: Clinical Trials.gov NCT01107119 , retrospectively registered 2010.04.18. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: People with depression are usually managed in primary care and antidepressants are often the first-line treatment, but only one third of patients respond fully to a single antidepressant. This paper describes the protocol for a randomised controlled trial (MIR) to investigate the extent to which the addition of the antidepressant mirtazapine is effective in reducing the symptoms of depression compared with placebo in patients who are still depressed after they have been treated with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) for at least 6 weeks in primary care.Methods/design: MIR is a two-parallel group, multi-centre, pragmatic, placebo controlled, randomised trial with allocation at the level of the individual. Eligible participants are those who: are aged 18 years or older; are currently taking an SSRI/SNRI antidepressant (for at least 6 weeks at an adequate dose); score ≥ 14 on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II); have adhered to their medication; and meet ICD-10 criteria for depression (assessed using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised version). Participants who give written, informed consent, will be randomised to receive either oral mirtazapine or matched placebo, starting at 15 mg daily for 2 weeks and increasing to 30 mg daily thereafter, for up to 12 months (to be taken in addition to their usual antidepressant). Participants, their GPs, and the research team will all be blind to the allocation. The primary outcome will be depression symptoms at 12 weeks post randomisation, measured as a continuous variable using the BDI-II. Secondary outcomes (measured at 12, 24 and 52 weeks) include: response (reduction in depressive symptoms (BDI-II score) of at least 50% compared to baseline); remission of depression symptoms (BDI-II <10); change in anxiety symptoms; adverse effects; quality of life; adherence to antidepressant medication; health and social care use, time off work and cost-effectiveness. All outcomes will be analysed on an intention-to-treat basis. A qualitative study will explore patients' views and experiences of either taking two antidepressants, or an antidepressant and a placebo; and GPs' views on prescribing a second antidepressant in this patient group.Discussion: The MIR trial will provide evidence on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of mirtazapine as an adjunct to SSRI/SNRI antidepressants for patients in primary care who have not responded to monotherapy.Trial Registration: EudraCT Number: 2012-000090-23 (Registered January 2012); ISRCTN06653773 (Registered September 2012). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Substance use frequently goes undetected in primary care. Though barriers to implementing systematic screening for alcohol and drug use have been examined in urban settings, less is known about screening in rural primary care.Objective: To identify current screening practices, barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for the implementation of substance use screening in rural federally qualified health centers (FQHCs).Design: As part of a multi-phase study implementing electronic health record-integrated screening, focus groups (n = 60: all stakeholder groups) and individual interviews (n = 10 primary care providers (PCPs)) were conducted.Participants: Three stakeholder groups (PCPs, medical assistants (MAs), and patients) at three rural FQHCs in Maine.Approach: Focus groups and interviews were recorded, transcribed, and content analyzed. Themes surrounding current substance use screening practices, barriers to screening, and recommendations for implementation were identified and organized by the Knowledge to Action (KTA) Framework.Key Results: Identifying the problem: Stakeholders unanimously agreed that screening is important, and that universal screening is preferred to targeted approaches. Adapting to the local context: PCPs and MAs agreed that screening should be done annually. Views were mixed regarding the delivery of screening; patients preferred self-administered, tablet-based screening, while MAs and PCPs were divided between self-administered and face-to-face approaches. Assessing barriers: For patients, barriers to screening centered around a perceived lack of rapport with providers, which contributed to concerns about trust, judgment, and privacy. For PCPs and MAs, barriers included lack of comfort, training, and preparedness to address screening results and offer treatment.Conclusions: Though stakeholders agree on the importance of implementing universal screening, concerns about the patient-provider relationship, the consequences of disclosure, and privacy appear heightened by the rural context. Findings highlight that strong relationships with providers are critical for patients, while in-clinic resources and training are needed to increase provider comfort and preparedness to address substance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Relationship-based, whole person care is foundational to quality general practice. Previous research has identified several characteristics of deep General Practitioner (GP)-patient relationships and their association with improved patient concordance, satisfaction and perceived health outcomes. Psychological attachment theory has been used to understand therapeutic relationships, but has only been explored to a limited extent in the general practice context. Additionally, evolving changes in sociocultural and commercial practice contexts may threaten relationship-based care. In view of this, we aimed to explore the nature and experience of deep GP-patient relationships, as identified by patients, from GP and patient perspectives. Methods: Semi-structured interview design. An initial survey assessed patients' perceived depth of their relationship with their GP, using the Health Care Provider Attachment Figure Survey and Patient-Doctor Depth of Relationship Scale. Patients who reported a deep relationship, and their GPs, were purposively selected for individual interviews exploring their experience of these relationships. A post-interview survey assessed interviewees' attachment styles, using the Modified and Brief Experiences in Close Relationships Scale. Patient interviewees also rated the patient-centredness of their GP's clinic using the Person-Centred Primary Care Measure. Transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Thirteen patients and five GPs were interviewed. Four themes characterised deep relationships: the 'professional'; human connection; trust; and 'above and beyond'. Patient, GP and practice team all contributed to their cultivation. Conclusions: We present a revised conceptual framework of deep GP-patient relationships. Deep relationships come to the fore in times of patient trouble. Like attachment relationships, they provide a sense of safety, caring and support for patients experiencing vulnerability. They can stretch GP boundaries and capacity for self-care, but also provide joy and vocational satisfaction. Patients may not always desire or need deep relationships with their GP. However, findings highlight the importance of enabling and cultivating these for times of patient hardship, and challenges of doing so within current healthcare climates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are among the largest public health challenges in Sweden. Research indicates that a healthy lifestyle can prevent most cases. The health dialogue is an evidence-based public health programme for primary care with positive results in several regions of Sweden. This study aimed to describe health care professionals' experiences and perceptions of health promotion through the health dialogue intervention during the pilot phase in the Scania region of Sweden. Methods: The study consists of 12 individual interviews with health care professionals educated in the health dialogue method, implementing the intervention in Scania. Qualitative content analysis with an inductive approach was used. Results: The analysis resulted in 10 sub-categories and the four main categories: A more health-promoting mindset would benefit primary care; Empower individuals; Facilitate sustainable lifestyle changes; Challenges, tools and support for the implementation of the health dialogue. One overarching theme emerged: "Health dialogue, a potential start of a paradigm shift in Swedish primary care". Conclusions: Conclusions imply that the health dialogue is a well-structured method with tools to make health promotion and primary prevention an integrated part of primary care. A respectful and motivating approach during the health dialogue is recommended. It is important to have an ongoing discussion about the approach among the health care professionals. Incorporating the Health Belief Model in the health care professionals' education in the method could increase the focus on self-efficacy during counselling, which could favour the participants' change process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored the perceptions of physicians and nurses in Swedish primary care regarding the legitimacy of their work tasks and the use of their professional competence. This qualitative study was based on manifest content analysis. Data were collected with individual semi-structured interviews of physicians and nurses at publicly managed primary care centres in the Region Östergötland, Sweden. To include both large and small primary care centres, we applied strategic sampling. Among 15 primary care centres invited, nine agreed to participate, including four urban, two suburban, and three rural centres. The study included 11 physicians and 13 nurses from nine primary care centres. The physicians and nurses perceived several of their work tasks as illegitimate. In addition, they experienced work-related difficulties, due to resource shortages, challenging electronic data systems, work inefficiencies, and that there were insufficient cooperation with, and problems drawing the line between, primary care and hospital care responsibilities. However, most found that their individual expertise was appropriately used, overall. Strained work situations and illegitimate work tasks may inflate discontentment and lead to negative work stress. Nevertheless, the staff felt that competence was used appropriately in the tasks considered legitimate. Physicians and nurses in primary care in Sweden described several work tasks as illegitimate. Physicians and nurses described problems with heavy workloads, resource shortages, electronic data-system challenges, inefficiencies and with cooperation and drawing the line between primary care and hospital care. Overall, physicians and nurses believed their individual expertise was used appropriately. To uphold sustainable working conditions and thoughtful use of staff competence, organisational measures, such as redistributing staff from hospital to primary care were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In primary care, a shift from a disease‐oriented approach for patients with multimorbidity towards a more person‐centred approach is needed. Aim: To transform a self‐report questionnaire for patients with chronic conditions in primary care, the Primary Care Functioning Scale (PCFS), into an understandable, visually attractive and feasible consultation tool for patients and health care providers. The consultation tool consists of a web‐based version of the PCFS, which is filled in by the patient and is processed to a feedback report that summarizes and visualizes the main findings. The feedback report can be discussed with the patient to facilitate a more person‐centred conversation for patients with chronic conditions and multimorbidity in general practice. Design and Setting: In this qualitative study, we developed the consultation tool by using design thinking in a participatory developmental process. Methods: In the first phase, we constructed five different feedback report templates to summarize and display the results of a completed PCFS questionnaire in a series of two expert meetings with patients and general practitioners (GPs). In the second phase, we performed an exploratory qualitative interview study involving dyads of patients with chronic conditions and their practice nurses. In an iterative process, we explored their experiences with the consultation tool. Results: Patients, as well as GPs, preferred a clear manner of presenting the results of the questionnaire in a feedback report. In 18 interviews with patients and practice nurses during three different interview rounds, we adjusted the feedback report and consultation tool based on the input from patients and practice nurses. After the final interview round, patients and practice nurses consented that the consultation tool was useful for having a more in‐depth consultation about functioning and patients' preferences when integrated into the regularly scheduled consultations. Conclusion: We were able to develop an understandable and feasible consultation tool that is applicable in already existing chronic disease management programmes in general practice in the Netherlands. Patient or Public Contribution: To increase the understandability and feasibility of the consultation tool, we collaborated with end‐users and actively involved patients, GPs and practice nurses in a participatory development process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Task-shifting, the distribution of tasks among health workers to address health workforce shortage, has been widely used to tackle mental health treatment gaps. However, its implementation in Indonesia has still been rarely explored. This study aimed to explore stakeholders' perspectives on the implementation of mental health task-shifting to nurses in Indonesia's primary health care. Methods: An exploratory descriptive approach using in-depth interviews and focused group discussions (FGDs) was used. The study involved 19 stakeholders from the government's ministry directorates, professional organisations, and mental health practitioners. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Three themes emerged namely, task-shifting feasibility and acceptability, shared task implementation, and nurse role enhancement issues, with 14 sub-themes. Conclusions: Task-shifting on mental health issues in the eye of Indonesian stakeholders is viewed as a matter of sharing and collaboration. Implementation of task-shifting in Indonesia may require policies in place and political will across stakeholders. Further scrutiny on task-shifting implementation is needed by considering the local context and national environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brief interventions (BIs) delivered in primary care can reduce harmful alcohol consumption. Yet, clinicians do not routinely offer BIs to reduce harmful alcohol use.Objective: We explored the perspectives of clinicians and patients about the use of alcohol BIs during consultations in Australian primary care.Methods: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups (face-to-face and virtual) were undertaken with 34 general practitioners, eight practice nurses and 17 patients. Field notes were made from audio-recordings and themes were identified using a descriptive qualitative approach with the field notes as the point of data analysis.Results: Participants identified barriers within the consultation, practice setting and wider healthcare system plus across the community which reduce the delivery of BIs in primary care including: Australian drinking norms; inconsistent public health messaging around alcohol harm; primary care not recognized as a place to go for help; community stigma towards alcohol use; practice team culture towards preventive health, including systems for recording alcohol histories; limitations of clinical software and current patient resources.Conclusion: Multiple layers of the healthcare system influence the use of BIs in primary care. Identified facilitators for embedding BIs in primary care included: (i) raising community and clinician awareness of the health harms of alcohol, (ii) reinforcing a primary care culture that promotes prevention and, (iii) supportive resources to facilitate discussion about alcohol use and strategies to reduce intake. Alcohol BIs in primary care could be further supported by community public health messages about alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The rise in opioid prescribing in primary care represents a significant public health challenge, associated with increased psychosocial problems, hospitalisations, and mortality. An evidence-based bimonthly feedback intervention to reduce opioid prescribing was developed and implemented, targeting 316 general practices in West Yorkshire over 1 year.Aim: To understand how general practice staff received and responded to the feedback intervention.Design and Setting: Qualitative process evaluation involving semi-structured interviews, guided by Normalisation Process Theory (NPT), of primary care healthcare professionals targeted by feedback.Method: Participants were purposively recruited according to baseline opioid prescribing levels and degree of change following feedback. Interview data were coded to NPT constructs, and thematically analysed.Results: Interviews were conducted with 21 staff from 20 practices. Reducing opioid prescribing was recognised as a priority. While high achievers had clear structures for quality improvement, feedback encouraged some less structured practices to embed changes. The non-prescriptive nature of the feedback reports allowed practices to develop strategies consistent with their own ways of working and existing resources. Practice concerns were allayed by the credibility of the reports and positive experiences of reducing opioid prescribing. The scale, frequency, and duration of feedback may have ensured a good overall level of practice population reach.Conclusion: The intervention engaged general practice staff in change by targeting an issue of emerging concern, and allowing adaption to different ways of working. Practice efforts to reduce opioid prescribing were reinforced by regular feedback, credible comparative data showing progress, and shared experiences of patient benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Growing demand from an increasingly ageing population with multimorbidity has resulted in complex health and social care needs requiring more integrated services. Integrating primary care with social services could utilise resources more efficiently, and improve experiences for patients, their families, and carers. There is limited evidence on progress including key barriers to and drivers of integration to inform large-scale national change.Aim: To elicit stakeholder views on drivers and barriers of integrated primary care and social services, and highlight opportunities for successful implementation.Design and Setting: A qualitative interview study.Method: Semi-structured interviews with maximum variation sampling to capture stakeholder views across services and professions.Results: Thirty-seven interviews were conducted across England with people including GPs, nurses, social care staff, commissioners, local government officials, voluntary and private sector workers, patients, and carers. Drivers of integration included groups of like-minded individuals supported by good leadership, expanded interface roles to bridge gaps between systems, and co-location of services. Barriers included structural and interdisciplinary tension between professions, organisational self-interest, and challenges in record sharing.Conclusion: Drivers and barriers to integration identified in other contexts are also present in primary care and social services. Benefits of integration are unlikely to be realised if these are not addressed in the design and execution of new initiatives. Efforts should go beyond local- and professional-level change to include wider systems- and policy-level initiatives. This will support a more systems-wide approach to integrated care reform, which is necessary to meet the complex and growing needs of an ageing multimorbid population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary care physicians (PCPs) are in a critical position for identifying, preventing and treating childhood obesity. However, a one-size-fits-all approach does not exist for having conversations about weight with families. A better understanding of how PCPs can address paediatric patients' weight concerns is needed in order to develop effective guidelines and trainings.Objective: To describe PCPs preferences and behaviours regarding weight-related conversations with paediatric patients' and their families.Methods: Twenty PCPs affiliated with the University of Minnesota, USA, were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.Results: PCP's identified well-child visits as the most appropriate time for weight-related discussions with families. Physicians described what approaches/elements they perceived to work best during conversations: collaboration, empathy, health-focused and objective measures.Conclusions: Overall, PCPs were more comfortable with weight-related discussions during annual well-child visits and rarely initiated them during an acute visit or the first encounter with a patient. Objective measures, such as growth charts, were often utilized to start discussions. Considering a large proportion of well-child visits are missed, alternative opportunities to have discussions about healthy lifestyle behaviours should be explored. The integral role PCPs play in paediatric obesity warrants further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family physicians and other members of the primary health care (PHC) team may be ideally positioned to provide transition care to adolescents and young adults (AYAs; aged 12-25 years) exiting pediatric specialty services. Potential solutions to well-known challenges associated with integrating PHC and specialty care need to be explored.Objective: To identify strategies to transition care by PHC professionals for AYAs with chronic conditions transitioning from pediatric to adult-oriented care.Methods: Participants were recruited from six Primary Care Networks in Calgary, Alberta. A total of 18 semi-structured individual interviews were completed, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using a qualitative description approach, involving thematic analysis.Results: Participants offered a range of strategies for supporting AYAs with chronic conditions. Our analysis resulted in three overarching themes: (i) educating AYAs, families, and providers about the critical role of primary care; (ii) adapting existing primary care supports for AYAs and (iii) designing new tools or primary care practices for transition care.Conclusions: Ongoing and continuous primary care is important for AYAs involved with specialty pediatric services. Participants highlighted a need to educate AYAs, families and providers about the critical role of PHC. Solutions to improve collaboration between PHC and pediatric specialist providers would benefit from additional perspectives from providers, AYAs and families. These findings will inform the development of a primary care-based intervention to improve transitional care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Operational failures, defined as inadequacies or errors in the information, supplies, or equipment needed for patient care, are known to be highly consequential in hospital environments. Despite their likely relevance for GPs' experiences of work, they remain under-explored in primary care.Aim: To identify operational failures in the primary care work environment and to examine how they influence GPs' work.Design and Setting: Qualitative interview study in the East of England.Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs (n = 21). Data analysis was based on the constant comparison method.Results: GPs reported a large burden of operational failures, many of them related to information transfer with external healthcare providers, practice technology, and organisation of work within practices. Faced with operational failures, GPs undertook 'compensatory labour' to fulfil their duties of coordinating and safeguarding patients' care. Dealing with operational failures imposed significant additional strain in the context of already stretched daily schedules, but this work remained largely invisible. In part, this was because GPs acted to fix problems in the here-and-now rather than referring them to source, and they characteristically did not report operational failures at system level. They also identified challenges in making process improvements at practice level, including medicolegal uncertainties about delegation.Conclusion: Operational failures in primary care matter for GPs and their experience of work. Compensatory labour is burdensome with an unintended consequence of rendering these failures largely invisible. Recognition of the significance of operational failures should stimulate efforts to make the primary care work environment more attractive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is some evidence to suggest that pharmacists integrated into primary care improves patient outcomes and prescribing quality. Despite this growing evidence, there is a lack of detail about the context of the role.Objective: To explore the implementation of The General Practice Pharmacist (GPP) intervention (pharmacists integrating into general practice within a non-randomized pilot study in Ireland), the experiences of study participants and lessons for future implementation.Design and Setting: Process evaluation with a descriptive qualitative approach conducted in four purposively selected GP practices.Methods: A process evaluation with a descriptive qualitative approach was conducted in four purposively selected GP practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic analysis.Results: Twenty-three participants (three pharmacists, four GPs, four patients, four practice nurses, four practice managers and four practice administrators) were interviewed. Themes reported include day-to-day practicalities (incorporating location and space, systems and procedures and pharmacists' tasks), relationships and communication (incorporating GP/pharmacist mode of communication, mutual trust and respect, relationship with other practice staff and with patients) and role perception (incorporating shared goals, professional rewards, scope of practice and logistics).Conclusions: Pharmacists working within the general practice team have potential to improve prescribing quality. This process evaluation found that a pharmacist joining the general practice team was well accepted by the GP and practice staff and effective interprofessional relationships were described. Patients were less clear of the overall benefits. Important barriers (such as funding, infrastructure and workload) and facilitators (such as teamwork and integration) to the intervention were identified which will be incorporated into a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Growing evidence for the role of GPs' gut feelings in cancer diagnosis raises questions about their origin and role in clinical practice.Aim: To explore the origins of GPs' gut feelings for cancer, their use, and their diagnostic utility.Design and Setting: Systematic review and meta-analysis of international research on GPs' gut feelings in primary care.Method: Six databases were searched from inception to July 2019, and internet searches were conducted. A segregated method was used to analyse, then combine, quantitative and qualitative findings.Results: Twelve articles and four online resources were included that described varied conceptualisations of gut feelings. Gut feelings were often initially associated with patients being unwell, rather than with a suspicion of cancer, and were commonly experienced in response to symptoms and non-verbal cues. The pooled odds of a cancer diagnosis were four times higher when gut feelings were recorded (OR 4.24, 95% confidence interval = 2.26 to 7.94); they became more predictive of cancer as clinical experience and familiarity with the patient increased. Despite being included in some clinical guidelines, GPs had varying experiences of acting on gut feelings as some specialists questioned their diagnostic value. Consequently, some GPs ignored or omitted gut feelings from referral letters, or chose investigations that did not require specialist approval.Conclusion: GPs' gut feelings for cancer were conceptualised as a rapid summing up of multiple verbal and non-verbal patient cues in the context of the GPs' clinical knowledge and experience. Triggers of gut feelings not included in referral guidance deserve further investigation as predictors of cancer. Non-verbal cues that trigger gut feelings appear to be reliant on continuity of care and clinical experience; they tend to remain poorly recorded and are, therefore, inaccessible to researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is little evidence on the impact of national pressures on primary care provision for type 2 diabetes from the perspectives of patients, their GPs, and nurses.Aim: To explore experiences of primary care provision for people with type 2 diabetes and their respective GPs and nurses.Design and Setting: A qualitative primary care interview study in the East of England.Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted, between August 2017 and August 2018, with people who have type 2 diabetes along with their respective GPs and nurses. Purposive sampling was used to select for heterogeneity in glycaemic control and previous healthcare experiences. Interviews were audio-recorded and analysed thematically. The consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research were followed.Results: The authors interviewed 24 patients and 15 GPs and nurses, identifying a changing landscape of diabetes provision owing to burgeoning pressures that were presented repeatedly. Patient responders wanted GP-delivered care with continuity. They saw GPs as experts best placed to support them in managing diabetes, but were increasingly receiving nurse-led care. Nurses reported providing most of the in-person care, while GPs remained accountable but increasingly distanced from face-to-face diabetes care provision. A reluctant acknowledgement surfaced among GPs, nurses, and their patients that only minimum care standards could be maintained, with aspirations for high-quality provision unlikely to be met.Conclusion: Type 2 diabetes is a tracer condition that reflects many aspects of primary care. Efforts to manage pressures have not been perceived favourably by patients and providers, despite some benefits. Reframing expectations of care, by communicating solutions to both patients and providers so that they are understood, managed, and realistic, may be one way forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As part of a broader study to improve the capacity for advance care planning (ACP) in primary healthcare settings, the research team set out to develop and validate a computerized algorithm to help primary care physicians identify individuals at risk of death, and also carried out focus groups and interviews with relevant stakeholder groups. Interviews with patients and family caregivers were carried out in parallel to algorithm development and validation to examine (1) views on early identification of individuals at risk of deteriorating health or dying; (2) views on the use of a computerized algorithm for early identification; and (3) preferences and challenges for ACP. Methods: Fourteen participants were recruited from two Canadian provinces. Participants included individuals aged 65 and older with declining health and self-identified caregivers of individuals aged 65 and older with declining health. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via telephone. A qualitative descriptive analytic approach was employed, which focused on summarizing and describing the informational contents of the data. Results: Participants supported the early identification of patients at risk of deteriorating health or dying. Early identification was viewed as conducive to planning not only for death, but for the remainder of life. Participants were also supportive of the use of a computerized algorithm to assist with early identification, although limitations were recognized. While participants felt that having family physicians assume responsibility for early identification and ACP was appropriate, questions arose around feasibility, including whether family physicians have sufficient time for ACP. Preferences related to the content of and approach to ACP discussions were highly individualized. Required supports during ACP include informational and emotional supports. Conclusions: This work supports the role of primary care providers in the early identification of individuals at risk of deteriorating health or death and the process of ACP. To improve ACP capacity in primary healthcare settings, compensation systems for primary care providers should be adjusted to ensure appropriate compensation and to accommodate longer ACP appointments. Additional resources and more established links to community organizations and services will also be required to facilitate referrals to relevant community services as part of the ACP process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Autistic people are at increased risk of developing mental health problems. To reduce the negative impact of living with autism in a non-autistic world, efforts to improve take-up and access to care, and support in early years, which will typically start with a GP appointment, must be grounded in the accounts of autistic young adults.Aim: To explore how autistic young adults understand and manage mental health problems; and to consider help seeking as a focus.Design and Setting: A cross-sectional, qualitative study. Autistic participants were purposively selected to represent a range of mental health conditions including anxiety and depression. A subsample were recruited from a population cohort screened for autism in childhood. The study concerns access to primary care.Method: Nineteen autistic young adults without learning disabilities, aged 23 or 24 years, were recruited. In-depth, semi-structured interviews explored how they understood and managed mental health problems. Data were analysed thematically.Results: Young adults preferred self-management strategies. Multiple factors contributed to a focus on self-management, including: beliefs about the aetiology of mental health difficulties and increased vulnerability with the context of a diagnosis of autism, knowledge of self-management, and a view that formal support was unavailable or inadequate. Families had limited awareness of professional support.Conclusion: Young autistic adults without learning disabilities, and their families, may hold erroneous beliefs about autism and mental health. This may affect help seeking and contribute to an exacerbation of symptoms. GPs need to be alert to the fact that autistic young adults in their care may be experiencing mental health difficulties but may not recognise them as such. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study presents a way for health services to improve service access for hardly reached people through an exploration of how staff can find and collaborate with citizens (referred to as connectors) who span socio-cultural boundaries in their community. The study explored the local socio-cultural contexts of connectors' boundary spanning activities and if they are health related; boundary spanning occurring between connectors and health professionals at the interface of health systems and community; and the opportunities and barriers to actively seeking out and collaborating with community connectors to access marginalised and hardly reached people.Methods: We conducted a qualitative case comparison from rural Ireland and Australia. Following purposive snow-ball sampling techniques to recruit participants, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 community informants, 21 healthcare staff and 32 connectors. Transcripts were coded and analysed using an inductive approach to ascertain categories and overall themes.Results: We found a diverse sample of connectors relating to heterogenous, small and locally distinct groups of hardly reached people. Overall 26 connectors were active at the interface between health services and the community, with variation in how this occurred between cases. The majority (21) described one or more health related activities with hardly reached people. All connectors expressed a willingness to develop a relationship with local health services on issues they identified as relevant. Barriers to collaborations between connectors and health services related to bureaucracy, workload, and burnout.Conclusions: Collaborating with connectors has potential as one strategy to improve access to health services for hardly reached people. To enact this, health staff need to identify local socio-cultural boundaries and associated connectors, facilitate two-way connections at the boundary between health services and community and enable collaboration by attending to activities in the community, at the interface between health services and community, and within the health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Personalized care planning is a patient-centered, whole-person approach to treatment planning. Personalized care plans improve patient outcomes and are now mandated for chronic care management reimbursement. Yet guidance on how to best implement personalized care planning in practice is limited.Objective: We examined the adoption of personalized care planning in patient-centered medical home (PCMH) clinics to identify processes and organizational characteristics that facilitated or hindered use in routine practice.Design: Qualitative multiple-case study design. We conducted site visits at PCMH clinics in four US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) medical centers. Data included 10 general clinic observations, 34 direct observations of patient-provider clinical encounters, 60 key informant interviews, and a document review. Data were analyzed via qualitative content analysis using a priori and emergent coding.Participants: Employees and patients participating in clinical encounters in PCMH clinics at four VHA medical centers.Key Results: Each clinic used a distinct approach to personalized care planning: (1) distributed tasks approach; (2) two-tiered approach; (3) health coaching approach; and (4) leveraging a village approach. Each varied in workflow, healthcare team utilization, and degree of integration into clinical care. Across sites, critical components for implementation included expanding planning beyond initial assessment of patient priorities; framing the initiative for patients; using a team-based approach to care plan development and updates; using communication mechanisms beyond the electronic health record; and engaging stakeholders in implementation planning.Conclusions: Personalized care planning is a novel patient-centered practice, but complicated to implement. We found variation in effective implementation and identified critical components to structuring this practice in a manner that engages patients in treatment aligned with personal priorities. Primary care practices seeking to implement personalized care planning must go beyond simply asking patients a series of questions to establish a plan. They must also engage team members in plan development, communication, and dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: It is currently not known when in the consultation GPs label symptoms as medically unexplained and what triggers this.Aim: To establish the moment in primary care consultations when a GP labels symptoms as medically unexplained and to explore what triggers them to do so.Design and Setting: This was a qualitative study. Data were collected in the Netherlands in 2015.Method: GPs' consultations were video-recorded. GPs stated whether the consultation was about medically unexplained symptoms (MUS). The GP was asked to reflect on the video-recorded consultation and to indicate the moment when they labelled symptoms as MUS. Qualitative interviewing and analysis were performed to explore the triggers GPs perceived that caused them to label the symptoms as MUS.Results: A total of 43 of the 393 video-recorded consultations (11%) were labelled as MUS. The mean time until GPs labelled symptoms as medically unexplained was about 4 minutes for newly presented symptoms and 2 minutes for symptoms for which the patients had already visited the GP before. GPs were triggered to label symptoms as MUS in the consultation by: the way patients presented their symptoms; the symptoms not fitting into a specific pattern; patients attributing the symptoms to a psychosocial context; and a discrepancy between symptom presentation and objective findings.Conclusion: Most GPs labelled the presented symptoms as medically unexplained soon after the start of the consultation. GPs are triggered to label symptoms as medically unexplained by patients' symptom presentation, symptom patterns, and symptom attribution. This suggests that non-analytical reasoning was a central component in their thought process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary care guidelines for the management of persistent, often 'medically unexplained', physical symptoms encourage GPs to discuss with patients how these symptoms relate to negative emotions. However, many GPs experience difficulties in reaching a shared understanding with patients.Aim: To explore how patients with persistent symptoms describe their negative emotions in relation to their physical symptoms in primary care consultations, in order to help GPs recognise the patient's starting points in such discussions.Design and Setting: A qualitative analysis of 47 audiorecorded extended primary care consultations with 15 patients with persistent physical symptoms.Method: The types of relationships patients described between their physical symptoms and their negative emotions were categorised using content analysis. In a secondary analysis, the study explored whether patients made transitions between the types of relations they described through the course of the consultations.Results: All patients talked spontaneously about their negative emotions. Three main categories of relations between these emotions and physical symptoms were identified: separated (negation of a link between the two); connected (symptom and emotion are distinct entities that are connected); and inseparable (symptom and emotion are combined within a single entity). Some patients showed a transition between categories of relations during the intervention.Conclusion: Patients describe different types of relations between physical symptoms and negative emotions in consultations. Physical symptoms can be attributed to emotions when patients introduce this link themselves, but this link tends to be denied when introduced by the GP. Awareness of the ways patients discuss these relations could help GPs to better understand the patient's view and, in this way, collaboratively move towards constructive explanations and symptom management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malnutrition is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and is very common in frail older people. However, little is known about how weight loss in frail older people can be managed in primary care.Aims: To explore the views and practices of primary care and community professionals on the management of malnutrition in frail older people; identify components of potential primary care-based interventions for this group; and identify training and support required to deliver such interventions.Design and Setting: Qualitative study in primary care and community settings.Method: Seven focus groups and an additional interview were conducted with general practice teams, frailty multidisciplinary teams (MDTs), and community dietitians in London and Hertfordshire, UK (n = 60 participants). Data were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Primary care and community health professionals perceived malnutrition as a multifaceted problem. There was an agreement that there is a gap in care provided for malnutrition in the community. However, there were conflicting views regarding professional accountability. Challenges commonly reported by primary care professionals included overwhelming workload and lack of training in nutrition. Community MDT professionals and dietitians thought that an intervention to tackle malnutrition would be best placed in primary care and suggested opportunistic screening interventions. Education was an essential part of any intervention, complemented by social, emotional, and/or practical support for frailer or socially isolated older people.Conclusions: Future interventions should include a multifaceted approach. Education tailored to the needs of older people, carers, and healthcare professionals is a necessary component of any intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical practice guidelines risk having little impact on healthcare if not effectively implemented. Theory informed, targeted implementation may maximise their impact. Our study explored barriers to and facilitators of guideline implementation and use by South African primary care nurses and allied healthcare workers in four provinces in South Africa. We also proposed interventions to address the issues identified.Methods: We used qualitative research methods, comprising focus group discussions using semi-structured topic guides. Seven focus group discussions were conducted (48 providers) in four South African provinces (Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo). Participants included mostly nurses, dieticians, dentists, and allied health practitioners, from primary care facilities in rural and peri-urban settings. The analysis proceeded in three phases. Firstly, two analysts conducted inductive thematic content analysis to develop themes of data. This was followed by fitting emergent themes to the Theoretical Domains Framework and finally to the associated Behaviour Change Wheel to identify relevant interventions.Results: Participants are knowledgeable about guidelines, generally trust their credibility and are receptive and motivated to use them. Guidelines are seen by nurses to provide confidence and reassurance, as well as professional authority and independence where doctors are scarce. Barriers to guideline use include: inadequate systems for printed book distribution, insufficient and substandard photocopies, linguistic inappropriateness (e.g. complicated language, lack of summaries, unavailable in local languages), unsupportive auditing procedures, limited involvement of end-users in guideline development, and patchy training that may not filter back to all providers. Future aspirations identified include: improving the design features of guidelines, accessible places to find guidelines, making digitally-formatted versions available, more supplementary materials (e.g. posters) to support patient engagement, accessible clinical support following training, and in-facility training for all professional cadres to ensure fair access, similar levels of capability and interdisciplinary consistency.Conclusions: South African primary care nurses and allied health practitioners have high levels of motivation to use guidelines, but face many systemic barriers. We used the Behaviour Change Wheel to suggest relevant, implementable interventions addressing identified barriers. This theory-informed approach may improve clinical guideline implementation and impact healthcare for South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Excessive wait times for specialist care can have a substantial negative impact on health outcomes. The Champlain BASETM (Building Access to Specialists through eConsultation) eConsult service based in Ottawa, Canada has demonstrated the ability to improve patients' access to specialist care.Objective: We interviewed patients who were treated using eConsult in order to explore their attitudes towards the service and their experiences of receiving care via the service.Methods: We conducted a thematic analysis of patient interviews using a constant comparative approach. Patients whose primary care providers used the eConsult service in their care were contacted by telephone between June 2015 and January 2016 and completed 15-min semi-structured interviews.Results: Of 43 contacted participants, 30 completed interviews (70%). Over half of all respondents (n = 16) reported receiving a follow-up call or appointment within 1 week, and 26 stated that eConsult was useful in their case. Participants unanimously agreed that eConsult was an acceptable way to access specialist care, and 29 stated that they would ask their primary care provider to use eConsult on their behalf in the future. Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis of patient comments: access, acceptability of eConsult and strengthened role of the primary care provider.Conclusions: Patients expressed acceptance for eConsult as a model for improving access to specialist care, had largely positive experiences with it as a model of care delivery, and supported its use in their future care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Continuous medical education strategies, including academic detailing (AD), have mixed effects on the quality of prescribing in general practice. Alongside a cluster-randomized controlled trial (cRCT) to assess the effectiveness of AD visits (on appropriate prescribing of analgesics for chronic pain in osteoarthritis) by Farmaka, an independent drug information center, we performed a process evaluation to identify possible barriers and success factors to improve these AD visits, both from the perspective of the academic detailers delivering the visits and the general practitioners (GPs) receiving them.Methods: We performed semi-structured interviews with 20 GPs who participated in the cRCT and 13 academic detailers. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Results: GPs viewed AD visits as a practical and useful CME strategy, that is less time consuming than other CME activities, and the visitors as providers of objective and independent information relevant to their daily practice with whom they can have meaningful discussion. Academic detailers saw themselves as content experts, mainly informing GPs about the topic and not emphasizing on behavior change. Both GPs and academic detailers believed that the AD visits could have better interaction and discussion if performed in small groups. According to the GPs, the visits on analgesic use provided some new and relevant information as well as clarifying some misconceptions. They increased awareness of the disadvantages of particular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and of the lower doses of paracetamol that should be prescribed for chronic use, which may have changed their beliefs and/or attitudes towards more appropriate prescribing for osteoarthritis. However, the transfer of knowledge into practice was seen as not so straightforward.Conclusions: GPs view AD visits as a credible and interesting way of CME that enhances their knowledge and increases reflection on their prescribing behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical coordination is considered a health policy priority as its absence can lead to poor quality of care and inefficiency. A key challenge is to identify which strategies should be implemented to improve coordination. The aim is to analyse doctors' opinions on the contribution of mechanisms to improving clinical coordination between primary and outpatient secondary care and the factors influencing their use.Methods: A qualitative descriptive study in three healthcare networks of the Catalan national health system. A two-stage theoretical sample was designed: in the first stage, networks with different management models were selected; in the second, primary care (n = 26) and secondary care (n = 24) doctors. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews. Final sample size was reached by saturation. A thematic content analysis was conducted, segmented by network and care level.Results: With few differences across networks, doctors identified similar mechanisms contributing to clinical coordination: 1) shared EMR facilitating clinical information transfer and uptake; 2) mechanisms enabling problem-solving communication and agreement on clinical approaches, which varied across networks (joint clinical case conferences, which also promote mutual knowledge and training of primary care doctors; virtual consultations through EMR and email); and 3) referral protocols and use of the telephone facilitating access to secondary care after referrals. Doctors identified organizational (insufficient time, incompatible timetables, design of mechanisms) and professional factors (knowing each other, attitude towards collaboration, concerns over misdiagnosis) that influence the use of mechanisms.Discussion: Mechanisms that most contribute to clinical coordination are feedback mechanisms, that is those based on mutual adjustment, that allow doctors to exchange information and communicate. Their use might be enhanced by focusing on adequate working conditions, mechanism design and creating conditions that promote mutual knowledge and positive attitudes towards collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Workforce projections indicate a potential shortage of up to 31,000 adult primary care providers by the year 2025. Approximately 80 % of internal medicine residents and nearly two-thirds of primary care internal medicine residents do not plan to have a career in primary care or general internal medicine.Objective: We aimed to explore contextual and programmatic factors within primary care residency training environments that may influence career choices.Design: This was a qualitative study based on semi-structured, in-person interviews.Participants: Three primary care internal medicine residency programs were purposefully selected to represent a diversity of training environments. Second and third year residents were interviewed.Approach: We used a survey guide developed from pilot interviews and existing literature. Three members of the research team independently coded the transcripts and developed the code structure based on the constant comparative method. The research team identified emerging themes and refined codes. ATLAS.ti was used for the analysis.Key Results: We completed 24 interviews (12 second-year residents, and 12 third-year residents). The age range was 27-39 years. Four recurrent themes characterized contextual and programmatic factors contributing to residents' decision-making: resident expectations of a career in primary care, navigation of the boundary between social needs and medical needs, mentorship and perceptions of primary care, and structural features of the training program.Conclusions: Addressing aspects of training that may discourage residents from careers in primary care such as lack of diversity in outpatient experiences and resident frustration with their inability to address social needs of patients, and strengthening aspects of training that may encourage interests in careers in primary care such as mentorship and protected time away from inpatient responsibilities during primary care rotations, may increase the proportion of residents enrolled in primary care training programs who pursue a career in primary care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Improving access for relatives at-risk of genetic conditions by building referral systems from primary care to genetic services is well recognised.Objectives: This study aimed to explore primary care professionals' (PCPs) views about using a short, seven-item family history questionnaire (S-FHQ) as an intervention for identifying at-risk relatives of patients with a genetic condition in routine primary care for referral to genetic services.Method: This qualitative study was conducted in the UK in 2013-14. Focus groups were held with 21 PCPs. The normalisation process theory (NPT) was used during analysis as the theoretical lens for exploring potential implementation and sustainability of the intervention.Results: In principle, participants were supportive of the S-FHQ. They initially expressed enthusiasm for the S-FHQ and identified benefits of its use. However, in discussions about its use in practice, they raised concerns about their expertise to deliver the intervention, implications for their workload, potential duplication with existing roles and services in secondary care, the ethical implications of its use in routine care and its acceptability to patients.Conclusion: This study shows why even a short family history questionnaire, as an intervention for identifying at-risk relatives, is unlikely to be implemented by primary care professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are recognised gaps between evidence and practice in general practice, a setting posing particular implementation challenges. We earlier screened clinical guideline recommendations to derive a set of 'high-impact' indicators based upon criteria including potential for significant patient benefit, scope for improved practice and amenability to measurement using routinely collected data. Here, we explore health professionals' perceived determinants of adherence to these indicators, examining the degree to which determinants were indicator-specific or potentially generalisable across indicators.Methods: We interviewed 60 general practitioners, practice nurses and practice managers in West Yorkshire, the UK, about adherence to four indicators: avoidance of risky prescribing; treatment targets in type 2 diabetes; blood pressure targets in treated hypertension; and anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation. Interview questions drew upon the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Data were analysed using framework analysis.Results: Professional role and identity and environmental context and resources featured prominently across all indicators whilst the importance of other domains, for example, beliefs about consequences, social influences and knowledge varied across indicators. We identified five meta-themes representing more general organisational and contextual factors common to all indicators.Conclusions: The TDF helped elicit a wide range of reported determinants of adherence to 'high-impact' indicators in primary care. It was more difficult to pinpoint which determinants, if targeted by an implementation strategy, would maximise change. The meta-themes broadly underline the need to align the design of interventions targeting general practices with higher level supports and broader contextual considerations. However, our findings suggest that it is feasible to develop interventions to promote the uptake of different evidence-based indicators which share common features whilst also including content-specific adaptations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Prescribing of antibiotics for common infections varies widely, and there is no medical explanation. Systematic reviews have highlighted factors that may influence antibiotic prescribing and that this is a complex process. It is unclear how factors interact and how the primary care organization affects diagnostic procedures and antibiotic prescribing. Therefore, we sought to explore and understand interactions between factors influencing antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections in primary care. Methods: Our mixed methods design was guided by the Triangulation Design Model according to Creswell. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected in parallel. Quantitative data were collected by prescription statistics, questionnaires to patients, and general practitioners' audit registrations. Qualitative data were collected through observations and semi-structured interviews. Results: From the analysis of the data from the different sources an overall theme emerged: A common practice in the primary health care centre is crucial for low antibiotic prescribing in line with guidelines. Several factors contribute to a common practice, such as promoting management and leadership, internalized guidelines including inter-professional discussions, the general practitioner's diagnostic process, nurse triage, and patient expectation. These factors were closely related and influenced each other. The results showed that knowledge must be internalized and guidelines need to be normative for the group as well as for every individual. Conclusions: Low prescribing is associated with adapted and transformed guidelines within all staff, not only general practitioners. Nurses' triage and self-care advice played an important role. Encouragement from the management level stimulated inter-professional discussions about antibiotic prescribing. Informal opinion moulders talking about antibiotic prescribing was supported by the managers. Finally, continuous professional development activities were encouraged for up-to-date knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Frail older people are an increasingly important group in primary care due to demographic change. For these patients, a palliative care approach may be useful to sustain the quality of life in the last phase of their lives. While general practitioners (GPs) play a key role in the primary care for older patients, general palliative care is still in its infancy and little is known in Germany about caring for frail older people towards the end of life. This study aims to explore the tasks and challenges regarding the care for frail older patients in the last phase of life from the GPs' point of view, and the latter's perception of their own role and responsibilities. Methods: Explorative qualitative study based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 14 GPs from urban and rural regions in Lower Saxony, Germany. Analysis was carried out according to the principles of Grounded Theory. Results: The GPs' key commitment "caring for frail older patients until the end" as an integral part of primary care was worked out as a key category, flanked by central issues: "causal conditions and challenges," which include patients' preconditions and care needs as well as communication and cooperation aspects on the carers' level. "Barriers and facilitators within the health system" refers to prerequisites of the German healthcare system, such as high caseloads. Regarding "strategies to comply with this commitment", various self-developed strategies for the care of frail older people are presented, depending on the GPs' understanding of their professional role and individual circumstances. Conclusions: The GPs show a strong commitment to caring for the frail older patients until the end of life. However, it is a challenging and complex task that requires significant time, which can take GPs to their limits. There is a great need to improve patient--and family-centered proactive communication, as well as interprofessional cooperation. Strengthening the team approach in primary care could relieve the burden on GPs, especially in rural areas, while simultaneously improving end-of-life care for their patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a major primary care challenge in children because they are common and costly, there is uncertainty regarding their diagnosis, prognosis, and management, and the overuse of antibiotics leads to illness medicalisation and bacterial resistance.Aim: To investigate healthcare professional (HCP) diagnostic and antibiotic prescribing decisions for children with RTIs.Design and Setting: Semi-structured interviews conducted with 22 GPs and six nurses. HCPs were recruited from six general practices and one walk-in centre, serving a mix of deprived and affluent areas.Method: Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed, imported into NVivo 9, and analysed thematically.Results: HCPs varied in the symptom and clinical examination findings used to identify children they thought might benefit from antibiotics. Their diagnostic reasoning and assessment of perceived clinical need for antibiotics used a dual process, combining an initial rapid assessment with subsequent detailed deductive reasoning. HCPs reported confidence diagnosing and managing most minor and severe RTIs. However, residual prognostic uncertainty, particularly for the intermediate illness severity group, frequently led to antibiotic prescribing to mitigate the perceived risk of subsequent illness deterioration. Some HCPs perceived a need for more paediatrics training to aid treatment decisions. The study also identified a number of non-clinical factors influencing prescribing.Conclusion: Prognostic uncertainty remains an important driver of HCPs' antibiotic prescribing. Experience and training in recognising severe RTIs, together with more evidence to help HCPs identify the children at risk of future illness deterioration, may support HCPs' identification of the children most and least likely to benefit from antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nine out of 10 patients undergoing urgent cancer investigations receive an 'all-clear' diagnosis.Aim: A qualitative approach was used to evaluate the impact of investigations that did not result in cancer diagnosis on subsequent symptom attribution and help seeking for recurrent or new possible cancer symptoms.Design and Setting: A survey of symptoms, help seeking, and past investigations was sent to 4913 individuals aged ≥50 years from four UK general practices. Of 2042 responders, 62 participants were recruited still reporting at least one cancer 'alarm' symptom in a 3-month follow-up survey for a nested in-depth interview study (ensuring variation in sociodemographic characteristics).Method: Framework analysis was used to examine the in-depth semi-structured interviews and identify themes related to previous health investigations.Results: Interviewees were on average 65 years old, and 90% reported investigations within the previous 2 years. Most often they reported gastrointestinal, urinary, and respiratory symptoms, and 42% had waited ≥3 months before help seeking. Reassurance from a previous non-cancer diagnosis explained delays in help seeking even if symptoms persisted or new symptoms developed months or years later. Others were worried about appearing hypochondriacal or that they would not be taken seriously if they returned to the doctor.Conclusion: An all-clear diagnosis can influence help seeking for months or even years in case of new or recurrent alarm symptoms. Considering the increasing number of people undergoing investigations and receiving an all-clear, it is paramount to limit unintended consequences by providing appropriate information and support. Specific issues are identified that could be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical activity (PA) is important for physical and mental health in adults and older adults. Interventions incorporating theory-based behaviour change techniques (BCTs) can be useful in helping people to increase their PA levels and can be delivered by practice nurses in primary care. We undertook two primary care based complex walking interventions among adults and older adults. Both interventions were underpinned by BCTs and delivered by practice nurses and we sought their views and experiences of delivering over 1400 complex PA consultations.Methods: Semi structured interviews with two practice nurse groups (n = 4 and n = 5) and two individual interviews (total n = 11) were conducted by independent facilitators; audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis.Results: Five key themes emerged as enablers and/or barriers to delivering the intervention: preparation and training; initial and ongoing support; adherence to the protocol; the use of materials and equipment; and engagement of participants. The themes were organised into a framework of 'pre-trial' and 'delivery of the intervention'. Two additional 'post-trial' themes were identified; changed practice and the future feasibility of the intervention. Nurses believed that taking part in the trial, especially the BCT training, enhanced the quality and delivery of advice and support they provided within routine consultations, although the lack of time available routinely makes this challenging.Conclusion: Delivering an effective behaviour change intervention in primary care requires adequate training and support for practice nurses both initially and throughout the trial as well as adequate consultation time. Enhanced skills from participating in such trials can lead to long-term changes, including more patient-centred consulting.Trial Registration: PACE-Lift ISRCTN 42122561 , PACE-UP ISRCTN 98538934 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Many primary care practices are moving toward the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model and increasingly are offering payment incentives linked to PCMH changes. Despite widespread acceptance of general PCMH concepts, there is still a pressing need to examine carefully and critically what transformation means for primary care practices and their patients and the experience of undergoing such change in a practice. Methods: We used a qualitative case study approach to explore the underlying dynamics of change at five practices participating in PCMH transformation efforts linked to payment reform. The evaluation consisted of structured site visits, interviews, observations, and artifact reviews followed by a structured review of transcripts and documents for patterns, themes, and insights related to PCMH implementation. Findings: We describe both the detailed components of each practice's transformation efforts and a grounded taxonomy of eight insights stemming from the experiences of these medical homes. We identified specific contextual factors related to wide variations in change tactics. We also observed widely varying approaches to catalyzing change using (or not) external consultants, specific challenges regarding health information technology implementation, team and staff role restructuring, compensation, and change fatigue, and several unexpected potential confounders or alternative explanations for practice success. Conclusions: Our evaluation affirms the value and necessity of qualitative methods for understanding primary care practice transformation, and it should encourage ongoing and future pilots to include assessments of the PCMH change process beyond clinical markers and claims data. The results raise insights into the heterogeneity of medical home transformation, the central but complex role of payment reform in creating a space for change, the ability of small practices to achieve substantial change in a short time period, and the challenges of sustaining it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Conducting university-based research is important for informing primary care, especially in lower- and middle- income countries (LMICs) such as Indonesia. Syiah Kuala University (SKU), the largest educational institution in Aceh province, Indonesia, is actively establishing itself as a leader in research innovation; however, this effort has not yet demonstrated optimum results. Understanding faculty members' perceptions of how research is conducted in this setting is crucial for the design and implementation of successful and sustainable research strategies to increase the quantity and quality of primary care research conducted at LMIC universities. The objective of this study was to identify current attitudes, barriers and enablers/facilitators towards primary care research participation and implementation in this higher education institution. Methods: A descriptive-interpretive qualitative study was conducted. 29 participants, representing 90% of all faculty members providing primary care, were included. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining the use of a participant survey with 10 focus group discussions. Participants were encouraged to complete the survey in either English or Bahasa Indonesia. All of the focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Thematic content analysis of these transcripts was carried out. Results: The majority of participants agreed that SKU has set research as a priority, as it is one of the three pillars of higher education, mandatory in all Indonesian higher education institutions. This research identified many barriers in conducting research, i.e. weak research policy, lack of research funding and infrastructure, complicated research bureaucracy and administrative process, as well as time constraints for conducting research relative to other duties. Participants expressed that personal motivation was a very important enabler/facilitator for increasing research activities. In order to improve research productivity, the majority of participants suggested that having local awards and formal recognition, having the opportunity to partner with local business and communities, provision of incentives, and having access to a research help-desk would be beneficial. Conclusions: Generally, participants showed a supportive and positive attitude towards research, and provided examples of how to improve research productivity in the Asian university context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]