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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented significant global healthcare challenges, particularly impacting the continuity of essential health services in low- and middle-income countries. This study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the utilization and provision of essential health services in Armenia., Methods: We employed a conventional qualitative study design, conducting semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 17) within public and private primary healthcare (PHC) facilities in Armenia in 2021. Our study participants encompassed physicians providing specialty services in PHC facilities (e.g. endocrinologists, gynecologists/obstetricians, and pediatricians), regular visitors to PHC facilities (e.g. adults with chronic diseases, parents of children), and policymakers. Thematic analysis was conducted, yielding five emergent categories: mobilization and organization of PHC services during COVID-19; PHC visits during COVID-19; worsening of chronic conditions due to the decline in PHC visits; problems with routine childhood vaccinations; and patient-provider communication challenges., Results: The number of in-person visits to PHC facilities declined due to adaptations in service delivery, imposed lockdown measures, and the public's fear of visiting healthcare facilities. Maternal and child health services continued with no major disruptions. PHC providers deliberately limited the number of maternal and child visits to essential antenatal care, newborn screenings, and routine childhood immunizations. Still, children experienced some delays in vaccination administration. The pandemic resulted in a notable reduction in follow-up visits and monitoring of patients with chronic conditions, thereby exacerbating their chronic conditions. Phone calls were the primary method of patient-provider communication during the pandemic., Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the delivery and utilization of essential healthcare services at PHC facilities, especially for those with chronic conditions who needed continuous care. Unified national-level guidance and technical capacity are needed to direct the provision of essential services at the PHC level, promote effective health communication, and implement digital platforms for the uninterrupted provision of essential care during public health emergencies., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The worldwide uptake of COVID-19 vaccines was suboptimal throughout the pandemic; vaccine hesitancy played a principle role in low vaccine acceptance both globally and in Armenia. In order to understand the factors behind the slow vaccine uptake in Armenia, we aimed to explore the prevailing perceptions and experiences of healthcare providers and the general public related to COVID-19 vaccines. The study applied a convergent parallel mixed-methods study design (QUAL-quant) through in-depth interviews (IDI) and a telephone survey. We completed 34 IDIs with different physician and beneficiary groups and a telephone survey with 355 primary healthcare (PHC) providers. The IDIs found that physicians held variable views on the need for COVID-19 vaccination which, combined with mixed messaging in the media landscape, fueled the public's vaccine hesitancy. The survey results were mostly consistent with the qualitative findings as 54% of physicians hypothesized that COVID-19 vaccines were rushed without appropriate testing and 42% were concerned about the safety of those vaccines. Strategies to improve vaccination rates must target the main drivers of hesitancy, such as physicians' poor knowledge of specific vaccines and spiraling misconceptions about them. Meanwhile, timely educational campaigns with targeted messaging for the general public should address misinformation, promote vaccine acceptance, and empower their capacity to make decisions about their health.

Background: Armenia has trained physicians to practice family medicine (FM) for over 20 years. The pediatric population comprises a significant proportion of patients seen by FM practices, yet to date, there have been no studies assessing the knowledge and self-efficacy of FM physicians regarding pediatric care. As the first step is needs assessment to improve the quality of care, this study aims to assess the self-efficacy and knowledge of FM physicians regarding the care of pediatric patients., Materials and Methods: We distributed a survey to attendees at an FM conference in Lori Province, Armenia. The survey instrument assessed demographics and experience, self-efficacy in providing pediatric care, and pediatric knowledge via questions adapted from the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM)., Results: Eighty-seven percent of participants were female. Roughly half (45%) had trained through an FM residency program, while the remainder had retrained to become FM physicians following a residency in another field. Almost all (97%) practiced outside of the capital city, Yerevan. About half believed that their didactic (51%) and clinical education (48%) prepared them either "extremely" or "very" well. Overall, there was no clear relationship between participants' reported self-efficacy in a given area of pediatrics and their score in that area on the knowledge portion of the survey., Conclusions: Our findings reveal opportunities for improvement in knowledge related to pediatric care in FM physicians in Armenia, as well as a lack of relationship between reported self-efficacy and knowledge. Thus, future programs should not rely solely on self-reported gaps to identify or prioritize areas of focus. Further study is recommended in other specialties in Armenia and internationally to improve future programs., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.)

Medical education is a critical aspect of healthcare quality and thus requires sufficient investment to meet international standards. The Republic of Armenia, a nation that became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991, has not experienced significant advancement of its medical education system as the Western world has. In 2018, the country underwent a revolution to oust systematic corruption and transition to a true democracy, providing an opportunity for future efforts to improve medical education. The Armenian diaspora, which consists of approximately two to three times more individuals than the country's population, includes healthcare professionals who are motivated and willing to contribute to the advancement of medical education. Assessing the perspectives of stakeholders is a key first step in this endeavor. We conducted a survey of recent medical graduates in Armenia, which revealed self-awareness of deficiencies in clinical, research, and leadership skills, desire to receive further training to improve these skills, and positive attitudes toward diaspora engagement. Thus, it is critical to incorporate a coordinated effort from the diaspora in addition to the local physician workforce, educational institutions, and government to bring about improvements in medical education in Armenia., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s).)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the most common blood-borne virus in the U.S., and its incidence continues to rise. With approval of direct-acting antiviral medications, treatment for Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) has become highly efficacious with a minimal side effect profile. Primary care physicians are well-positioned to address this increased demand, yet most do not feel comfortable treating CHC. In this case report, we describe implementation of a multidisciplinary team-based approach for treating CHC at multiple primary care sites across a large safety net health system. We focus on the evolving nature of implementation of our model through iterative Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, highlighting the importance of developing an interdependent, multidisciplinary team, providing training, and ongoing support of Primary Care Hepatitis C Specialists, responding to the evolving nature of CHC treatment and policies, and ensuring high quality treatment. This process allowed us to continually grow and adapt our approach to make it feasible and successful. We share our "lessons" learned for others looking to bring CHC treatment, and potentially other specialty-based treatment, into the primary care setting., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)