Cross-sectional multicentre study on the cohort of all the French junior lecturers in general practice

Background: General practice became an academic discipline quite recently in many western countries. In France, junior lecturer work is specified in a three-part mandate: medical work in general practice, teaching in the university, and research. Since 2007, 130 junior lecturers have been appointed in general practice. The aim of the creation of junior lecturer status was to align general practice with other specialties and to develop research and education in primary care.

Objectives: To describe the healthcare, teaching and research undertaken by junior lecturers in general practice, practising in October 2014.

Methods: A cross-sectional multicentre study using an online self-administered questionnaire on the cohort composed of all the junior lecturers in general practice with open questions and the qualitative analysis of written verbatim accounts.

Results: Of the 95 junior lecturers practising at the date of the study, 75 (79%) responded; average age 32 years; gender ratio (F/M) 2.4:1. They spent five, two and three half-days per week respectively in healthcare, teaching and research. The healthcare activity was predominantly carried out in the community (73%). Thirty-nine per cent worked as part of a multi-professional team taking on 50 consultations per week. Most of the educational work involved lecturing and mentoring students specializing in general practice (median 86?hours per year). Research output increased during the fellowship. Research topics were varied and relevant to the disciplinary field.

Conclusion: During the fellowship, the balancing, and even the reinforcement, of healthcare and research contributions were accompanied by a significant investment in educational provision.     

Series: The research agenda for general practice/family medicine and primary health care in Europe. Part 5: Needs and implications for future research and policy

Abstract

The recently published ‘Research Agenda for General Practice/Family Medicine and Primary Health Care in Europe’ summarizes the evidence relating to the core competencies and characteristics of the Wonca Europe definition of GP/FM, and highlights related needs and implications for future research and policy. The European Journal of General Practice publishes a series of articles based on this document. In a first article, background, objectives, and methodology were discussed. In three subsequent, articles the results for the six core competencies of the European Definition of GP/FM were presented. This article formulates the common aims for further research and appropriate research methodologies, based on the missing evidence and research gaps identified form the comprehensive literature review. In addition, implications of this research agenda for general practitioners/family doctors, researchers, research organizations, patients and policy makers are presented. The concept of six core competencies should be abandoned in favour of a model with four dimensions, including clinical, person related, community oriented and management aspects. Future research and policy should consider more the involvement and rights of patients; more attention should be given to how new treatments or technologies are effectively translated into routine patient care, in particular primary care. There is a need for a European ethics board. The promotion of GP/FM research demands a good infrastructure in each country, including access to literature and databases, appropriate funding and training possibilities.     

Communicating and judging the quality of qualitative research: the need for a new language

Background Traditionally UK dietitians have tended to take a more quantitative approach to research. Qualitative research which gives an in‐depth view of people's experiences and beliefs is also now being used to help answer some important dietetic research questions. Review A review of the limited number of qualitative research papers in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 1990–2002 (nine papers in all), revealed a lack of specific discussion of the quality strategies commonly used in qualitative research. This could indicate a less than robust approach, but might also reflect a different perspective on quality, or simply the difficulties associated with disseminating qualitative research to a profession whose members lack familiarity with the language. The fact that qualitative research seems to be used rarely may also indicate a poor understanding of its role. Purpose of this paper This paper seeks to clarify the potential role of qualitative research and draws on previously published guidelines for demonstrating quality. It is hoped that this will offer dietitians a framework for carrying out qualitative research and a language for reporting it, as well acting as a stimulus for discussion.     

The research agenda for general practice/family medicine and primary health care in Europe. Part 3. Results: Person centred care,comprehensive and holistic approach

Abstract

The recently published ‘Research Agenda for General Practice/Family Medicine and Primary Health Care in Europe’ summarizes the evidence relating to the core competencies and characteristics of the Wonca Europe definition of GP/FM, and its implications for general practitioners/family doctors, researchers and policy makers. The European Journal of General Practice publishes a series of articles based on this document. In a first article, background, objectives, and methodology were discussed. In a second article, the results for the two core competencies ‘primary care management’ and ‘community orientation’ were presented. This article reflects on the three core competencies, which deal with person related aspects of GP/FM, i.e. ‘person centred care’, ‘comprehensive approach’ and ‘holistic approach’. Though there is an important body of opinion papers and (non-systematic) reviews, all person related aspects remain poorly defined and researched. Validated instruments to measure these competencies are lacking. Concerning patient-centredness, most research examined patient and doctor preferences and experiences. Studies on comprehensiveness mostly focus on prevention/care of specific diseases. For all domains, there has been limited research conducted on its implications or outcomes.     

Development of a research agenda for general practice based on knowledge gaps identified in Dutch guidelines and input from 48 stakeholders

Background: Several funding organizations using different agendas support research in general practice. Topic selection and prioritization are often not coordinated, which may lead to duplication and research waste.

Objectives: To develop systematically a national research agenda for general practice involving general practitioners, researchers, patients and other relevant stakeholders in healthcare.

Methods: We reviewed knowledge gaps from 90 Dutch general practice guidelines and formulated research questions based on these gaps. In addition, we asked 96 healthcare stakeholders to add research questions relevant for general practice. All research questions were prioritized by practising general practitioners in an online survey (n?=?232) and by participants of an invitational conference including general practitioners (n?=?48) and representatives of other stakeholders in healthcare (n?=?16), e.g. patient organizations and medical specialists.

Results: We identified 787 research questions. These were categorized in two ways: according to the chapters of the International Classification for Primary Care (ICPC) and in 12 themes such as common conditions, person-centred care and patient education, collaboration and organization of care. The prioritizing procedure resulted in top 10 lists of research questions for each ICPC chapter and each theme.

Conclusion: The process resulted in a widely supported National Research Agenda for General Practice. We encourage both researchers and funding organizations to use this agenda to focus their research on the most relevant issues in general practice and to generate new evidence for the next generation of guidelines and the future of general practice.     

Narrative reports to monitor and evaluate the integration of pharmacists into family practice settings

PURPOSE Narratives can capture unfolding events and negotiation of roles and thus can help to evaluate interventions in interdisciplinary health care teams. We describe a practical qualitative method, the narrative report, and its role in evaluating implementation research.METHODS We used narrative reports as a means to evaluate an intervention to integrate pharmacists into group family practices. The pharmacists submitted 63 written narrative reports during a 1-year period. Our interdisciplinary research team analyzed these reports to monitor the progress of the implementation, to identify pharmacists’ needs, and to capture elements of the integration process.RESULTS The monthly narrative reports allowed the research team to document early learning and calibrate the program in terms of clinical support, adapting roles, and realigning expectations. The reports helped the research team stay in tune with practice-related implementation challenges, and the preliminary summary of narrative findings provided a forum for sharing innovations among the integrating pharmacists.CONCLUSION The narrative report can be a successful qualitative tool to track and evaluate the early stages of an intervention in the context of evolving primary health care teams.     

Patient empowerment,an additional characteristic of the European definitions of general practice/family medicine

Abstract

Growing evidence supports the inclusion of patient empowerment as a key ingredient of care for patients with chronic conditions. In recent years, several studies based on patient empowerment, have been carried out in different European countries in the context of general practice and primary care to improve management of chronic diseases. These studies have shown good results of the care model, increasing patient and health professionals’ satisfaction, adherence to guidelines and to treatment, and improving clinical outcomes. In 2011, the Wonca European Council included as the twelfth characteristic of the European definitions of general practice/family medicine: ‘promote patient empowerment’. The aim of this paper is to clarify the meaning of 'patient empowerment’ and to explain why family medicine should be considered the most suitable setting to promote it. The inclusion of patient empowerment as one of the essential characteristics of general practice fills a conceptual gap and clearly suggests to the European health care systems a tested model to face chronic diseases: involving and empowering patients in managing their own conditions to improve health and well-being.     

Barriers to and enablers of the promotion of patient and family participation in primary healthcare nursing in Brazil,Germany and Spain: A qualitative study

Background

Most health systems are insufficiently prepared to promote the participation of chronically ill patients in their care. Strong primary health care (PHC) strengthens patients' resources and thus promotes their participation. The tasks of providing continuous care to people with chronic diseases and promoting self-management are the responsibility of PHC nurses. Recent research assessing enablers of or barriers to nurses' efforts to support patients' participation has mostly not considered the special situation of patients with chronic diseases or focused on the PHC setting.

Objective

To investigate enablers of and barriers to PHC nurses' efforts to promote the participation of chronically ill patients in their care.

Methods

We interviewed 34 practicing PHC nurses and 23 key informants with advanced knowledge of PHC nursing practice in Brazil, Germany and Spain. The data was analyzed using thematic coding.

Results

We identified four categories of barriers and enablers. (1) Establishing bonds with patients: Interviewees emphasized that understanding patients' views and behaviours is important for PHC nurses. (2) Cooperation with relatives and families: Good relationships with families are fundamental, however conflicts within families could challenge PHC nurses efforts to strengthen participation. (3) Communication and cooperation within PHC teams: PHC nurses see Cooperative team structures as a potential enabler, while the dominance of a ‘biomedical’ approach to patient care is seen as a barrier. (4) Work environment: Interviewees agreed that increased workload is a barrier to patient participation.

Discussion and Conclusions

Supporting patient participation should be acknowledged as an important responsibility for nurses by general practitioners and PHC planners. PHC nurses should be trained in communicative competence when discussing participation with chronically ill patients. Interprofessional education could strengthen other professionals' understanding of patient participation as a nursing task.

Patient or Public Contribution

This study is part of a research project associated with the research network ‘forges: User-oriented care: Promotion of health in the context of chronic diseases and care dependency’. The study's focus and provisional results were discussed continuously with partners in health and social care practice and presented to and discussed with the public at two conferences in which patient representatives, professionals and researchers participated.     

Mentor mother support for mothers experiencing intimate partner violence in family practice: A qualitative study of three different perspectives on the facilitators and barriers of implementation

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is highly prevalent and associated with physical and mental health problems. Mentor mother support is a low threshold intervention in family practice consisting of support by non-professionals trained to support mothers experiencing IPV. A mentor mother support study showed reduced exposure to IPV and decreased symptoms of depression.

Objectives: Identify factors determining implementation success of mentor mother support in family practice.

Methods: Individual interviews were conducted with 12 family physicians, 16 abused mothers and three mentor mothers. Four mentor mothers participated in a focus group. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data.

Results: The identification and discussion of abuse is hindered by family physicians’ attitudes because they considered mothers experiencing IPV as a difficult target group with a responsibility of their own to break out of their violent situation. Some family physicians doubted the partner’s violence because he was known as a patient as well. Acceptance of mentor mother support is related to the readiness for change of mothers experiencing IPV. Mentor mothers facilitate acceptance and completion of their support by connecting as a friend who is equal and less threatening than professionals.

Conclusion: To improve successful implementation of mentor mother support in primary care, we should focus on family physicians’ attitudes towards IPV. To change these attitudes, we recommend continuous training of family physicians. By being paraprofessional friends, mentor mothers offer low threshold support that is complementary to professional support and should be embedded more widely in primary care.

KEY MESSAGES

• We need to focus on family physicians’ attitudes towards IPV to improve the support for mothers experiencing IPV.

• As ‘paraprofessional friends,’ mentor mothers offer low-threshold support that is complementary to professional support.

     

Qualitative outcome assessment and research on chronic disease management in general practice. Highlights from a keynote lecture,EGPRN May 2011, Nice

At its 2011 conference in Nice, France, the European General Practice Research Network (EGPRN), considered the issue of Relevant Outcome Measures in General Practice Research into Chronic Diseases. This paper, which is adapted from a keynote lecture given during that conference, considers the role of qualitative outcome assessments in research. Such assessments have a great deal in common with the patient-centred approach of general practice as they can capture the overall state of a patient rather than capturing only certain aspects. Research suggests that patients can be categorized, based on qualitative outcome assessment, and over time might change category. This approach to assessment brings to our attention alternative ways of considering the future: future as currently being made or future as predictable, at least to some extent. Although general practice needs the evidence from research that predicts the future, it also needs to engage in research that seeks to understand patients as they make their future, and to understand the impact of clinical interventions on this process.     

全科医疗特征功能的评价、影响因素分析及政策涵义

目的:全科医疗特征功能是构成基础保健高绩效的基础,是区别于专科医疗的核心所在。本研究将测量全科医疗特征功能,剖析其影响因素,探讨问题原因,为制定强化全科医疗特征功能政策提供依据。方法:使用本土化的基础保健测量工具PCAT-AE,选择8家社区卫生服务中心和深圳市港大医院全科医疗门诊部作为调查机构。采用面对面、一对一形式的问卷调查方法,共调查1 712名病人,有效问卷1 645份。结果:全科医疗特征功能总分49.0分,首诊利用(69.8)、连续性(63.1)和文化胜任力(51.2)维度得分相对较高,可及性(40.8)和以社区为导向(31.0)维度得分相对较低。全科医疗特征功能得分受人口社会学特征、健康特征和服务利用等多种因素影响,特征功能对病人的满意度起积极作用(OR1)。结论:国内全科医疗特征功能得分较低,与国外相比差距较大。可以从病人个体、组织和系统三个层面,全面强化全科医疗特征功能。     

A multi-perspective exploration of the understanding of patient complaints and their potential for patient safety improvement in general practice

BackgroundHealthcare complaints are an under utilised source of information for safety improvement, particularly in general practice settings. Within general practice in Ireland, complaints management is dependent on individual practice policies, with little standardisation nationally, impeding their use for safety improvement. There is a need to understand factors that contribute to unlocking the potential of complaints for safety improvement in general practice in Ireland and internationally.ObjectivesTo explore perceptions of healthcare complaints of general practitioners, practice nurses and managers, medico-legal professionals, and policymakers.MethodsParticipants were recruited using convenience sampling. Interviews were conducted from November 2019–May 2020, based on a semi-structured interview guide. Data were then transcribed and analysed using content analysis. An iterative process was applied to identify emerging themes from the interviews.ResultsA total of 29 participants (19 female, 10 male) were interviewed. Three themes emerged from the analysis, ‘why patients submit complaints’, ‘management of complaints’, and ‘impact of complaints’. Subthemes included ‘barriers and facilitators to complaining’, ‘practice processes’ for complaints management, and ‘impacts on staff’ of complaints, among others.ConclusionThere is a lot to be learned about how individuals experience complaints, however, this study adds to existing knowledge. The findings from this study can be used to tackle challenges facing complaints management in general practice, including the barriers to complaining for patients and the negative impacts of complaints on the staff, and can also help to build on positive aspects of complaints such as the desire for systemic change among interested parties.     

全科医疗核心特征功能概念与内涵界定的研究思路

全科医疗(general practice)是基础保健(primary care)的核心,全科医疗的特征功能包括:首诊、可及性、连续性、综合性、协调性(核心特征功能)和以家庭为基础、以社区为导向、以病人为中心(衍生特征功能)。特征功能是全科医疗的本质功能,全科医生在提供基础医疗服务时,只有将这些功能整合在一起提供,全科医疗才能转化成高质量的健康照护。特征功能理论是基础保健理论的重要组成部分,特征功能概念的定义与内涵则是该理论的核心和基础,然而,目前已有的基础保健核心特征功能的定义与内涵之间存在着交叉重叠和边界不清。本文首先对基础保健核心特征功能的概念与内涵界定所遇到的问题进行梳理,然后对问题的原因进行探讨,最后给出基础保健特征功能的概念和内涵界定的三个原则,即可控性原则、互斥性原则和穷尽性原则。     

三城市社区全科医学培训现状与需求分析

目的了解社区全科医学培训现状及需求情况，为制订相应的培训策略和方法提供依据。方法采用定性与定量相结合的方法，调查成都、沈阳、上海三城市社区卫生服务中心或服务站的全科医学培训及需求情况。结果在所调查的171名医生中，接受过全科培训的占39，8％；162名护理人员中，接受过全科培训的占12．3％；67名预防保健人员中，接受过全科培训的占35，8％。接受过全科培训的医务人员对培训效果的评价并不高，但对全科医学培训却有着较高的需求。结论建议建立全科医生培养基地，强化对社区卫生服务人员的培训，提高人员素质。     

A policy of introducing a new contract and funding system of general practice in Estonia

The socialist bloc of post-war Europe was obliged to follow the Soviet example with a hierarchical, centrally controlled health care system based on polyclinics and other facilities providing extensive specialist services at the first level of contact. All the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have now expressed their wish to totally change their health care systems. Changes in these countries include: the introduction of market economy mechanisms in health care, an increased focus on population health needs in guiding health care systems, and the possibility of introducing a more general type of care at primary level. Patient expectations of access, choice and convenience are factors in shaping new models of health care delivery. Appropriate timing is the key determinant of the success of reforms. In Estonia the beginning of the 1990s was the time when several interest groups in society supported changes in the health care system. The first step after regaining independence was the reintroduction of a Bismarck-type insurance system. In the late 1990s the primary care reforms have changed the initial plans and elements of a National Health Service were introduced, especially general practitioners' lists, capitation payment and gate-keeping principles. The family medicine reform in Estonia has two main objectives: introduction of general practice as a specialty into Estonian health care and changing the remuneration system of primary care doctors. The specific tasks are: to provide practising primary care doctors with opportunities for retraining to gain the specialty status of a general practitioner, to create a list system for the population to register with a primary care doctor, to introduce a partial gate-keeping system and to give the status of the independent contractor to primary care doctors.     

Views of patients and general dental practitioners on the organizational aspects of a general dental practice

Objective To examine the views of patients and general dental practitioners (GDPs) on the organizational aspects of a general dental practice and to see whether their views differ. Background Health care has increasingly centred on the patient over the last two decades, and the patients’ opinions have been taken more seriously. Although in other health‐care sectors research on organizational aspects has been performed, research in dental care is lacking on this subject. Design We developed two questionnaires covering 41 organizational aspects of a general dental practice: one for GDPs and one for dental patients. The questionnaires were handed out in dental practices to 5000 patients and sent to 500 GDPs. Results We describe the results of the organizational aspects mentioned most by 25% of the dental patients. For most aspects, the views of the patients and GDPs differed significantly. However, both respondent groups mentioned the same category the most. Conclusions The results of this study could be used on a policy level for the development of guidelines and on a practice level for individual GDPs to adjust practice management to the preferences of patients.