Primary care is an essential foundation for the global response to COVID-19 pandemic. It plays a significant role in the health care response: identifying and triaging potential COVID-19 cases, ...making an early diagnosis, helping vulnerable people cope with their anxiety about the virus, strengthening compliance with prevention and protection measures, and reducing the demand for hospital services. Primary care teams have continued to address citizens’ health problems during the pandemic, adapting to strict social control measures imposed by governments such as closing of borders, lockdowns and self-isolation of cases and contacts. We describe the COVID-19 response from primary care in Hong Kong and China, based on their recent pandemic experiences. We also present that of a European country, United Kingdom, less experienced in pandemic management, but with universal and highly developed primary care with great social recognition. Finally, we point out some crucial learning for future pandemic management, highlighting the crucial need to improve the relationship between primary care and public health to improve pandemics response.
La atención primaria es una parte esencial de los sistemas de salud para la respuesta global a la pandemia COVID-19. Desempeña un papel importante en la respuesta asistencial y en su control: identificando y clasificando los posibles casos de COVID-19, realizando un diagnóstico precoz, ayudando a las personas vulnerables a hacer frente a su ansiedad por el virus, reforzando el cumplimiento de las medidas de prevención y protección y reduciendo la demanda de servicios hospitalarios. Los equipos de atención primaria han continuado atendiendo los problemas de salud de los ciudadanos durante la pandemia, adaptándose a las estrictas medidas sociales de control impuestas por los gobiernos como el cierre de fronteras, el confinamiento de la sociedad, y el autoaislamiento de casos y contactos. En este artículo se describe la respuesta a la pandemia COVID-19 desde el nivel de atención primaria en Hong Kong y China, basada en sus experiencias de pandemias anteriores. También se describe la de Reino Unido, con menos experiencia en gestión de pandemias, pero con una atención primaria muy desarrollada, con una cobertura universal de la población y con gran reconocimiento social. Finalmente, se señalan algunos aprendizajes cruciales para la gestión de la pandemia en atención primaria de cara al futuro, entre ellas la importante necesidad de potenciar la relación entre atención primaria y salud pública.
Primary Health Care (PHC) has been key element in detection, monitoring and treatment of COVID-19 cases in Spain. We describe how PHC practices (PCPs) organized healthcare to guarantee quality and ...safety and, if there were differences among the 17 Spanish regions according to the COVID-19 prevalence.
Cross-sectional study through the PRICOV-19 European Online Survey in PCPs in Spain. The questionnaire included structure and process items per PCP. Data collection was due from January to May 2021. A descriptive and comparative analysis and a logistic regression model were performed to identify differences among regions by COVID-19 prevalence (low < 5% or high ≥5%).
Two hundred sixty-six PCPs answered. 83.8% of PCPs were in high prevalence regions. Over 70% PCPs were multi-professional teams. PCPs attended mainly elderly (60.9%) and chronic patients (53.0%). Regarding structure indicators, no differences by prevalence detected. In 77.1% of PCPs administrative staff were more involved in providing recommendations. Only 53% of PCPs had a phone protocol although 73% of administrative staff participated in phone triage. High prevalence regions offered remote assessment (20.4% vs 2.3%, p 0.004) and online platforms to download administrative documents more frequently than low prevalence (30% vs 4.7%, p < 0.001). More backup staff members were hired by health authorities in high prevalence regions, especially nurses (63.9% vs 37.8%, p < 0.001. OR:4.20 (1.01-8.71)). 63.5% of PCPs provided proactive care for chronic patients. 41.0% of PCPs recognized that patients with serious conditions did not know to get an appointment. Urgent conditions suffered delayed care in 79.1% of PCPs in low prevalence compared to 65.9% in high prevalence regions (p 0.240). A 68% of PCPs agreed on having inadequate support from the government to provide proper functioning. 61% of high prevalence PCPs and 69.5% of low ones (p: 0.036) perceived as positive the role of governmental guidelines for management of COVID-19.
Spanish PCPs shared a basic standardized PCPs' structure and common clinical procedures due to the centralization of public health authority in the pandemic. Therefore, no relevant differences in safety and quality of care between regions with high and low prevalence were detected. Nurses and administrative staff were hired efficiently in response to the pandemic. Delay in care happened in patients with serious conditions and little follow-up for mental health and intimate partner violence affected patients was identified. Nevertheless, proactive care was offered for chronic patients in most of the PCPs.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VSZLJ
En este trabajo se describen los factores que han propiciado la expansión de las prácticas de bajo valor (PBV) junto con las principales iniciativas para revertirlas. El artículo destaca las ...estrategias que han demostrado ser más útiles a lo largo de los años, desde la adecuación de la práctica clínica a las recomendaciones “no hacer”, pasando por la prevención cuaternaria y el abordaje de los riesgos asociados al intervencionismo. Revertir las PBV requiere un proceso planificado con un enfoque multifactorial que involucre a los diferentes agentes implicados. Además ha de tener en cuenta las barreras que dificultan la desimplementación de las PBV e incorpore las herramientas que facilitan la adherencia a las recomendaciones “no hacer”. El papel del médico de familia es especialmente relevante en la prevención, detección y desimplementación de las PBV, por su carácter coordinador e integrador de la atención que reciben los pacientes, y porque en el primer nivel asistencial se gestionan y resuelven la mayor parte de las demandas asistenciales.
This manuscript describes the factors that have led to the spread of low-value practices (LVP) and the main initiatives to reverse them. The paper highlights the strategies that have proven to be most useful over the years, from the alignment of clinical practice with “do not do” recommendations, to quaternary prevention and the risks associated with interventionism. Reversing LVP requires a planned process with a multifactorial approach engaging the different actors involved. It considers the barriers to de-implementation of low-value interventions and incorporates tools that facilitate adherence to “do not do” recommendations. Family doctor has an especially relevant role in LVP prevention, detection and de-implementation, due to their coordinating and integrating nature in the patients’ healthcare, and because most of the citizens’ healthcare demands are managed and resolved at the first level of care.
Este artículo de revisión y actualización tiene como objetivo plantear las dificultades y oportunidades para la formación en seguridad del paciente del personal de ciencias de la salud (grado, ...posgrado, formación especializada y continua), y algunas propuestas para llevarla a cabo. Muy brevemente trata esta formación específica y la situación actual en atención primaria, destacando que la seguridad del paciente es una necesidad, un área competencial y una oportunidad formativa para los residentes. Establece el marco general de la seguridad del paciente en atención primaria, teniendo como referencia el documento «Siete Pasos para la Seguridad del Paciente en Atención Primaria», planteando la necesidad de un abordaje sistémico. Destaca la elaboración y presentación de casos sobre errores clínicos como la estrategia formativa más frecuente. Los escenarios clínicos reales se relacionan con los pacientes de trato difícil, los incidentes críticos y la bioética en el ejercicio profesional. Estos escenarios presentan como característica común el hecho de producir dificultades y sufrimiento a todos los actores participantes. Se incluyen varios instrumentos para la formación en seguridad del paciente (SP). La meta, a medio plazo, es la consolidación de la seguridad clínica en la formación sanitaria especializada. Finalmente, se analiza la repercusión de la pandemia en la formación en seguridad del paciente, especialmente sobre la formación sanitaria especializada, haciendo propuestas de cómo llevar a cabo una docencia segura en tiempos de pandemia de COVID-19.
This narrative review manuscript aims to raise the difficulties and opportunities for patient safety in specialised healthcare training considering undergraduate, postgraduate, specialist and continuing education, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also suggests some proposals for carrying it out. It very briefly discusses this specific training and its current situation in primary care. Highlighting that patient safety is a need, an area of competence and a training opportunity for residents. It establishes the general framework of patient safety in primary care in the document “7 steps for Patient Safety in Primary Care”, stating the need for a systemic approach. It highlights the elaboration and presentation of cases on clinical errors as the most frequent training strategy. The real-life clinical scenarios relate to difficult patients, critical incidents and bioethics issues in professional practice. These scenarios have as common characteristics, the fact to produce difficulties and suffering for all the actors involved. Several instruments for training in patient safety are also included. The medium-term goal is to consolidate clinical safety in specialised healthcare training. Finally, an analysis is made of the impact of the pandemic on patient safety training, particularly on specialised healthcare training and some proposals are recommended on how to carry out safe teaching in the times of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abstract Background Changes in demographics with an older population, the illness panorama with increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, and the shift from hospital care to home-based care ...place demand on primary health care, which requires multiprofessional collaboration and team-based organization of work. The COVID-19 pandemic affected health care in various ways, such as heightened infection control measures, changing work practices, and increased workload. Objectives This study aimed to investigate the association between primary care practices’ organization, and quality and safety changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Data were collected from 38 countries in a large online survey, the PRICOV-19 study. For this paper, the participating practices were categorized as “Only GPs”, comprising practices with solely general practitioners (GPs) and/or GP trainees, without any other health care professionals ( n = 1,544), and “Multiprofessional,” comprising practices with at least one GP or GP trainee and one or more other health professionals ( n = 3,936). Results Both categories of practices improved in infection control routines when compared before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A larger proportion of the multiprofessional practices changed their routines to protect vulnerable patients. Telephone triage was used in more “Multiprofessional” practices, whereas “Only GPs” were more likely to perform video consultations as an alternative to physical visits. Both types of practices reported that the time to review new guidelines and scientific literature decreased during the pandemic. However, both had more meetings to discuss directives than before the pandemic. Conclusions Multiprofessional teams were keener to introduce changes to the care organization to protect vulnerable patients. However, practices with only GPs were found to be more aligned with video consultations, perhaps reflecting the close patient-doctor relationship. In contrast, telephone triage was used more in multiprofessional teams.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
CEKLJ, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Resumen La actividad médica despliega un conjunto de competencias encaminadas a mejorar el estado de salud de las personas. En este camino se realizan diagnósticos, se hacen elecciones de pruebas y ...tratamientos y se toman decisiones sobre hacer y no hacer que afectan a la vida de los pacientes. En este artículo, proponemos una reflexión ante el sobrediagnóstico y sobretratamiento en relación con los factores que lo promueven y el impacto que tienen en la sociedad, en el funcionamiento del sistema sanitario y también directamente en los pacientes. Finalmente, realizamos unas propuestas de cómo redirigir este exceso considerando que la atención primaria es un lugar privilegiado para actuar en adecuar y minimizar el impacto de las actuaciones del sistema sanitario en la salud de los ciudadanos y reducir los incidentes de seguridad del paciente ligados al sobrediagnóstico y al uso inadecuado de pruebas y tratamientos que no aportan valor a la salud de los pacientes.
The frequency of low-value practices (LVPs) in the healthcare system is a worldwide challenge. This study aimed to evaluate the LVPs trend in Spanish primary care (PC), its frequency in both sexes, ...and estimate its related extra cost.
A multicentric, retrospective, and national research project was conducted. Ten LVPs highly frequent and potentially harmful for patients were analyzed (majority of them related to prescription). Algorithms were applied to collect the data from 28,872,851 episodes registered into national databases (2015-2017).
LVPs registered a total of 7,160,952 (26.5%) episodes plus a total of 259,326 avoidable PSA screening tests. In adults, a high frequency was found for inadequate prescription of paracetamol antibiotics, and benzodiazepines . Women received more jeopardizing practices (p ≤ 0.001). Pediatrics presented a downward of antibiotic and paracetamol-ibuprofen prescription combination. The estimated extra cost was close to €292 million (2.8% of the total cost in PC).
LVPs reduction during the analyzed period was moderate compared to studies following 'Choosing Wisely list' of LVPs and must improve to reduce patient risk and the extra related costs.
The COVID-19 pandemic substantially magnified the inequity gaps among vulnerable populations. Both public health (PH) and primary health care (PHC) have been crucial in addressing the challenges ...posed by the pandemic, especially in the area of vulnerable populations. However, little is known about the intersection between PH and PHC as a strategy to mitigate the inequity gap. This study aims to assess the collaboration between PHC and PH with a focus on addressing the health needs of vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic across jurisdictions. We analyzed and compared data from jurisdictional reports of COVID-19 pandemic responses in PHC and PH in Belgium, Canada (Ontario), Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain from 2020 to 2021. Four themes emerge from the analysis: (1) the majority of the countries implemented outreach strategies targeting vulnerable groups as a means to ensure continued access to PHC; (2) digital assessment in PHC was found to be present across all the countries; (3) PHC was insufficiently represented at the decision-making level; (4) there is a lack of clear communication channels between PH and PHC in all the countries. This study identified opportunities for collaboration between PHC and PH to reduce inequity gaps and to improve population health, focusing on vulnerable populations. The COVID-19 response in these eight countries has demonstrated the importance of an integrated PHC system. Consequently, the development of effective strategies for responding to and planning for pandemics should take into account the social determinants of health in order to mitigate the unequal impact of COVID-19. Careful, intentional coordination between PH and PHC should be established in normal times as a basis for effective response during future public health emergencies. The pandemic has provided significant insights on how to strengthen health systems and provide universal access to healthcare by fostering stronger connections between PH and PHC.
Conflictos de interés en la profesión médica Altisent, Rogelio; Delgado-Marroquín, María-Teresa; Astier-Peña, María-Pilar
Atención primaria,
October 2019, Letnik:
51, Številka:
8
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
ResumenEn las últimas décadas el mundo de la medicina se ha familiarizado con la valoración de los conflictos de interés (CDI). En las revista científicas se ha generalizado el requisito de que los ...autores declaren sus CDI en relación con los artículos que proponen publicar; otros aspectos sensibles que merecen atención son los CDI en la toma de decisiones sobre prescripción y los CDI de quienes ocupan puestos de responsabilidad en instituciones científicas, asistenciales o de representación profesional. Estos debates son coherentes con la preocupación de las sociedades democráticas por la justicia y la ética social que exigen juego limpio en la toma de decisiones que afectan a terceros, particularmente a los pacientes. En el presente trabajo se analiza el concepto de los CDI, los tipos de conflictos que pueden abarcar y se reflexiona sobre propuestas para la gestión de los mismos en la profesión médica.
PDF
