1. Reflections of Australian general practitioners during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.
- Author
-
Ovington, Seren, Anderson, Katrina, Choy, Melinda, and Haesler, Emily
- Subjects
- *
GENERAL practitioners , *TEAMS in the workplace , *WORK , *RESEARCH methodology , *PHYSICIAN-patient relations , *ATTITUDE (Psychology) , *PHYSICIANS' attitudes , *INTERVIEWING , *FEAR , *UNCERTAINTY , *PUBLIC administration , *QUALITATIVE research , *RISK perception , *ATTITUDES toward illness , *PSYCHOSOCIAL factors , *EXPERIENTIAL learning , *HEALTH , *INFORMATION resources , *COMMUNICATION , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *RESEARCH funding , *THEMATIC analysis , *JUDGMENT sampling , *DATA analysis software , *REFLECTION (Philosophy) , *COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
Background: General practitioners (GPs) have played an integral role in Australia's coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic response. However, little is known about how GPs themselves have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to increase our understanding of the experiences of GPs working during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews. Using purposive sampling, 15 GPs from South-Eastern Australia were asked to reflect on their experiences during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Interview transcripts underwent thematic analysis. Results: Five main themes were identified: fear of infection; uncertainty and information overload; impacts on the government–GP relationship; impacts on the patient–doctor relationship; and teamwork within practices and among GPs. Conclusions: The 15 GPs interviewed in this study provided valuable insights into their experiences working during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. From these insights, four recommendations propose what could be done to help support GPs to respond to a pandemic while continuing to deliver primary health care. Although general practitioners (GPs) have played a crucial role in Australia's COVID-19 pandemic response, few studies have explored the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on GPs themselves. In this qualitative study, 15 GPs from South-Eastern Australia were asked to reflect on their experiences working during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in semi-structured interviews. Their reflections enhance our understanding of the experience of GPs working during the COVID-19 pandemic and may help guide future research and work to support GPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
- View/download PDF