Responding to COVID-19: an exploration of EU country responses and directions for further research.

Background: During COVID-19, scientists advising policymakers were forced to deal with high uncertainty and risks in an environment of unknowns. Evidence on which policies and measures were effective in responding to the pandemic remains underdeveloped to answer the key question 'what worked and why?'. This study aims to provide a basis for studies to go further to answer this critical question, by starting to look efficacy or how countries ensured that health services remained available and what measures were enacted to protect and treat their populations and workers.

The impact of eHealth use on general practice workload in the pre-COVID-19 era: a systematic review.

Background: In recent years, eHealth has received much attention as an opportunity to increase efficiency within healthcare organizations. Adoption of eHealth might consequently help to solve perceived health workforce challenges, including labor shortages and increasing workloads among primary care professionals, who serve as the first point of contact for healthcare in many countries. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate the impact of general eHealth use and specific eHealth services use on general practice workload in the pre-COVID-19 era.

Task shifting in Dutch nursing practice: A repeated cross-sectional analysis of nurses' experiences.

Aim: This study aims firstly to identify shifts in the execution of medical tasks by nurses in the past decade. Secondly, it aims to explore nurses' perspectives on task shifting: how they think task shifting affects the quality of care, the attractiveness of nursing practice and their collaboration with physicians.

Design: A quantitative repeated cross-sectional study.

Shared decision-making in undergraduate nursing and medical education: An explorative dual-method study.

Objective: This study explores how shared decision-making (SDM) is integrated in undergraduate nursing and medical education.

Methods: A dual-method design was applied. The integration of SDM in medicine and nursing education programs (i.

Medical deserts in Spain-Insights from an international project.

Introduction: Medical deserts are a growing phenomenon across many European countries. They are usually defined as (i) rural areas, (ii) underserved areas or (iii) by applying a measure of distance/time to a facility or a combination of the three characteristics. The objective was to define medical deserts in Spain as well as map their driving factors and approaches to mitigate them.

Elements of organisation of integrated maternity care and their associations with outcomes: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Integrated care is seen as an enabling strategy in organising healthcare to improve quality, finances, personnel and sustainability. Developments in the organisation of maternity care follow this trend. The way care is organised should support the general aims and outcomes of healthcare systems.

International comparison of professional competency frameworks for nurses: a document analysis.

Background: Nursing competency frameworks describe the competencies; knowledge, skills and attitudes nurses should possess. Countries have their own framework. Knowledge of the content of professional competency frameworks in different countries can enhance the development of these frameworks and international collaborations.

Quick adaptation of the organisation of general practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.

Background: General practices have adapted the practice organisation to the circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article we describe several adjustments in general practices in the field of patient flow management, appointments, triage, referral and infection prevention. We also examined how practices relate to the policy of the government and of the professional organisations during the pandemic.

The influence of government policies on the nurse practitioner and physician assistant workforce in the Netherlands, 2000-2022: a multimethod approach study.

Background: Many countries are looking for ways to increase nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant/associate (PA) deployment. Countries are seeking to tackle the pressing issues of increasing healthcare demand, healthcare costs, and medical doctor shortages. This article provides insights into the potential impact of various policy measures on NP/PA workforce development in the Netherlands.

General Practices' Experiences With Patients' Web-Based Access to Medical Records: Survey Study.

Background: Patients' web-based access to their medical records is expected to promote their role and responsibility in managing their own health and treatments and supporting shared decision-making. As of July 2020, general practices in the Netherlands are legally obliged to provide their patients access to their electronic medical records. Web-based access provision is facilitated and stimulated through a national support program named OPEN.

Recruitment and retention of general practitioners in European medical deserts: a systematic review.

Introduction: Despite policies aiming at universal health coverage by ensuring availability and accessibility of general practitioners (GPs), medically underserved areas are still present in Europe. This systematic review aims to summarize and compare literature on interventions and their potential effectiveness of GP recruitment and retention in these underserved areas ('medical deserts') from 2011 onwards.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were used to identify publications, applying a two-stage selection process.

Work like a Doc: A comparison of regulations on residents' working hours in 14 high-income countries.

Background: Medical residents work long, continuous hours. Working in conditions of extreme fatigue has adverse effects on the quality and safety of care, and on residents' quality of life. Many countries have attempted to regulate residents' work hours.

Characteristics of medical deserts and approaches to mitigate them: a scoping review.

Introduction: Medical deserts are increasingly considered problematic and many countries employ a multitude of actions and initiatives to achieve a better distribution of the health workforce (HWF). This study systematically maps research and provides an overview of the definitions/characteristics of medical deserts. It also identifies contributing factors and approaches to mitigate medical deserts.

Characteristics of Medical Deserts and Approaches to Mitigate Their Health Workforce Issues: A Scoping Review of Empirical Studies in Western Countries.

Background: Medical deserts are considered a problematic issue for many Western countries which try to employ multitude of policies and initiatives to achieve a better distribution of their health workforce (HWF). The aim of this study was to systematically map research and provide an overview of definitions, characteristics, contributing factors and approaches to mitigate medical deserts within the European Union (EU)-funded project "ROUTE-HWF" (a Roadmap OUT of mEdical deserts into supportive Health WorkForce initiatives and policies).

Methods: We performed a scoping review to identify knowledge clusters/research gaps in the field of medical deserts focusing on HWF issues.

Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Led to Changes in the Tasks of the Primary Care Workforce? An International Survey among General Practices in 38 Countries (PRICOV-19).

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a large and varying impact on primary care. This paper studies changes in the tasks of general practitioners (GPs) and associated staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from the PRICOV-19 study of 5093 GPs in 38 countries were used.

Task shifting from general practitioners to practice assistants and nurses in primary care: a cross-sectional survey in 34 countries.

Aim: To describe variation in task shifting from GPs to practice assistants/nurses in 34 countries and to explain differences by analysing associations with characteristics of the GPs and their practices and features of the health care systems.

Background: Redistribution of tasks and responsibilities in primary care are driven by changes in demand, such as the growing number of patients with chronic conditions, and workforce developments, including staff shortage. The need to manage an expanding range of services has led to adaptations in the skill-mix of primary care teams.

"Get Used to the Fact That Some of the Care Is Really Going to Take Place in a Different Way": General Practitioners' Experiences with E-Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The first outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the introduction of the more extensive use of e-health in Dutch general practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the experiences of general practitioners (GPs) regarding this change. In addition, the necessary conditions for e-health technology to be of added value to general practices were explored.

Use of E-Health in Dutch General Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced general practices to search for possibilities to provide healthcare remotely (e.g., e-health).

Task shifting from general practitioners to practice assistants and nurses in primary care: a cross-sectional survey in 34 countries.

Aim: To describe variation in task shifting from general practitioners (GPs) to practice assistants/nurses in 34 countries, and to explain differences by analysing associations with characteristics of the GPs, their practices and features of the health care systems.

Background: Redistribution of tasks and responsibilities in primary care are driven by changes in demand for care, such as the growing number of patients with chronic conditions, and workforce developments, including staff shortage. The need to manage an expanding range of services has led to adaptations in the skill mix of primary care teams.

Periodontal screening during an oral public health promotion campaign: a study among health consumers.

Introduction: Diseases such as periodontal disease and halitosis have a negative impact on both the economy and the quality of life worldwide; thus, poor oral health has become a public health concern. The aim of this study was to characterise the oral health status of visitors to a public health consumer's exhibition using demographic and social characteristics and consumers' periodontal health condition.

Methods: During this cross-sectional study in 2010-2014, 1,223 visitors completed a questionnaire.