Higher interest to continue COVID-19 practice recommendations in non-pandemic times among German GPs with better crisis leadership skills (egePan study).

Background: The German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians (DEGAM) issued a COVID-19 guideline with eleven recommendations to support primary care services during the pandemic. Their use in general practices beyond the pandemic can contribute to pandemic preparedness. This study analysed general practitioners' (GPs) interest in applying recommended organisational changes in non-pandemic times.

Innovative Regional Services and Heterogeneous Communication Channels: Results from the Nationwide German egePan Project for Pandemic Management.

: In the COVID-19 pandemic, novel regional services and communication channels emerged across all sectors of the German healthcare system. To contribute to pandemic preparedness, this study aims to describe newly established services in response to the COVID-19 pandemic from a stakeholder perspective and to examine the interprofessional communication channels, applying a nationwide cross-sectional approach. : A nationwide sample of German healthcare stakeholders comprising general practitioners, associations of statutory health insurance physicians, hospital medical directors, local health departments, rescue coordination centres, medical directors of emergency services, outpatient nursing services, nursing homes, community care access centres, and hospital nursing managers was surveyed.

Early integration of palliative care versus standard cardiac care for patients with heart failure (EPCHF): a multicentre, parallel, two-arm, open-label, randomised controlled trial.

Background: Heart failure is a substantial global health concern that severely affects patients' quality of life. We aimed to compare the effects of early integration of palliative care (EIPC) and standard cardiac care on health status and mood of patients with non-terminal heart failure.

Methods: EPCHF was a multicentre, parallel, two-arm, open-label, randomised controlled trial carried out at University Hospital Bonn and University Hospital Düsseldorf in Germany.

Regional socioeconomic characteristics and density of general practitioners in Germany: A nationwide cross-sectional and longitudinal spatial analysis.

Objectives: Limited healthcare availability impacts population health. Regional disparities in GP density across Germany raise questions about their association with regional socioeconomic characteristics.

Study Design: This longitudinal nationwide ecological German study used regional data at the county level (n = 401) from 2015 to 2019 provided by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR).

Icon Arrays for Medical Risk Communication: Do Icon Type and Color Influence Cardiovascular Risk Perception and Recall?

Background: Icon arrays have been shown to be an effective method for communicating medical risk information. However, in practice, icon arrays used to visualize personal risks often differ in the type and color of the icons. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of icon type and color on the perception and recall of cardiovascular risk, as little is known about how color affects the perception of icon arrays.

Use of the FallAkte Plus System as an IT Infrastructure for the North Rhine-Westphalian General Practice Research Network: Mixed Methods Usability Study.

Background: Primary care research networks can generate important information in the setting where most patients are seen and treated. However, this requires a suitable IT infrastructure (ITI), which the North Rhine-Westphalian general practice research network is looking to implement.

Objective: This mixed methods research study aims to evaluate (study 1) requirements for an ITI and (study 2) the usability of an IT solution already available on the market, the FallAkte Plus (FA+) system for the North Rhine-Westphalian general practice research network, which comprises 8 primary care university institutes in Germany's largest state.

Effectiveness of the online-eLearning program KeepCoool at improving the vaccine cold chain in general practices.

Background: Protecting vaccines from freeze damage is a poorly addressed problem. We describe the effectiveness of the eLearning KeepCoool on cold chain maintenance in general practices.

Methods: For this intervention study, temperatures of vaccine refrigerators were logged at one-minute intervals.

Associations between COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Overtime, Perceived Chronic Stress and Burnout Symptoms in German General Practitioners and Practice Personnel-A Prospective Study.

Background: The mental burdens of general practitioners (GPs) and practice assistants (PrAs) during the COVID-19 pandemic are well investigated. Work-related conditions like overtime are known to contribute to perceived chronic stress and burnout symptoms. However, there is limited evidence regarding the specific mechanisms, which link pandemic-related overtime, chronic stress and burnout symptoms.

The Predominance of the Health-Promoting Patterns of Work Behavior and Experience in General Practice Teams-Results of the IMPROVE Study.

This study aims to identify the distribution of the "Work-related behavior and experience patterns" (Arbeitsbezogenes Verhaltens-und Erlebnismuster, AVEM) in general practitioners and their teams by using baseline data of the IMPROVE study. Members of 60 general practices with 84 physicians in a leadership position, 28 employed physicians, and 254 practice assistants participated in a survey in 2019 and 2020. In this analysis, we focused on AVEM variables.

[Clinical Practice Guidelines for Vaccine Management in Ambulatory Care: a Systematic Review Following the AGREE II Approach].

Background: Breaches in the cooling chain with exposure of vaccines to temperatures outside the target range of +2°C to +8°C may reduce their efficacy and impair immune responses. Following the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) approach, this review assesses the quality and content of international clinical practice guidelines on vaccine management. The results were used to derive recommendations for the vaccine management in ambulatory care in Germany.

180° view on general practitioners' leadership skills: practice-level comparisons of leader and staff assessments using data from the cluster-randomised controlled IMPROVE study.

Objectives: Strong primary care leaders are needed to assure high quality services for patient populations. This study analysed general practitioners' (GP) leadership skills comparing practice-level self and staff assessments based on the full range of leadership model and the leader-member exchange (LMX).

Setting: The questionnaire survey was conducted among German general practice leaders and their staff participating in the IMPROVE trial.

Exploring why European primary care physicians sometimes do not think of, or act on, a possible cancer diagnosis. A qualitative study.

Background: While primary care physicians (PCPs) play a key role in cancer detection, they can find cancer diagnosis challenging, and some patients have considerable delays between presentation and onward referral.

Aim: To explore European PCPs' experiences and views on cases where they considered that they had been slow to think of, or act on, a possible cancer diagnosis.

Design & Setting: A multicentre European qualitative study, based on an online survey with open-ended questions, asking PCPs for their narratives about cases when they had missed a diagnosis of cancer.

German GPs' Self-Perceived Role in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Leadership, Participation in Regional Services and Preferences for Future Pandemic Preparedness.

General practitioners (GPs) played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about GPs' view of their role, leadership, participation in regional services and preferences for future pandemic preparedness. This representative study of German GPs comprised a web-based survey and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI).

Prediction of Chronic Stress and Protective Factors in Adults: Development of an Interpretable Prediction Model Based on XGBoost and SHAP Using National Cross-sectional DEGS1 Data.

Background: Chronic stress is highly prevalent in the German population. It has known adverse effects on mental health, such as burnout and depression. Known long-term effects of chronic stress are cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

More GP Consultations by Violence Victims: Results from the Representative German DEGS1 Study.

Violence is a growing public health problem influencing physical and mental health. Victims tend to contact medical care in the first place, yet a discrepancy between patients' violence experiences (VE) and general practitioners' (GP) awareness is reported. The number of GP visits by victims is of interest.

Exploring Transfer Potentials of the IMPROVE Intervention for Strengthening Workplace Health Management in Micro-, Small-, and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Germany: A Qualitative Study.

Micro- and small-sized enterprises (MSE), and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) in Germany are often burdened with high levels of psychosocial stressors at work. The IMPROVE intervention was originally developed for general practice teams, and aims to promote job satisfaction and reduce psychosocial stressors in the context of workplace health management (WHM). This qualitative study identified challenges and transfer options regarding the transfer of the IMPROVE intervention to other MSE/SME settings.

Small Changes in Patient Arrival and Consultation Times Have Large Effects on Patients' Waiting Times: Simulation Analyses for Primary Care.

(1) Background: Workflows are a daily challenge in general practices. The desired smooth work processes and patient flows are not easy to achieve. This study uses an operational research approach to illustrate the general effects of patient arrival and consultation times on waiting times.

Collaboration between general practitioners and social workers: a scoping review.

Objectives: Aim of the study is to present an overview of collaboration structures and processes between general practitioners and social workers, the target groups addressed as well the quality of available scientific literature.

Design: A scoping review following the guidelines of the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews).

Included Sources And Articles: According to a pre-published protocol, three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, DZI SoLit) were searched using the participant-concept-context framework.

Digital redesign of hypertension management with practice and patient apps for blood pressure control (PIA study): A cluster-randomised controlled trial in general practices.

Background: Long-term hypertension control prevents heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases, yet implementation is insufficient worldwide. The redesign of hypertension management by information and communication technology (ICT) improved hypertension control, e.g.

Leadership program with skills training for general practitioners was highly accepted without improving job satisfaction: the cluster randomized IMPROVEjob study.

Leadership has become an increasingly important issue in medicine as leadership skills, job satisfaction and patient outcomes correlate positively. Various leadership training and physician psychological well-being programmes have been developed internationally, yet no standard is established in primary care. The IMPROVEjob leadership program was developed to improve job satisfaction among German general practitioners and practice personnel.

Higher chronic stress and less satisfaction with GP communication in migrants with unemployment experience: data from the representative German DEGS1 and the GPCare-1 study.

Background: The impact of unemployment on health is well studied. However, information on associations of unemployment, migration background and general practitioner-patient communication is scarce.

Methods: Data from the representative German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1) of individuals in working age (n = 5938) were analysed stratified by unemployment and migration background.

Higher Work-Privacy Conflict and Lower Job Satisfaction in GP Leaders and Practice Assistants Working Full-Time Compared to Part-Time: Results of the IMPROVE Study.

Background: Work-privacy conflict (WPC) has become an important issue for medical professionals. The cluster-randomized controlled IMPROVEjob study aimed at improving job satisfaction (primary outcome), with additional outcomes such as examining the work-privacy conflict in German general practice personnel. Using baseline data of this study, the relationship between work-privacy conflict and job satisfaction (JS) was analyzed.

More GP contacts and poorer health of informal caregivers with low socioeconomic status in Germany: results from the population-based DEGS1 and the cross-sectional GPCare-1 study.

Objectives: Informal caregivers are known to have poorer mental health. Risk factors for caregiver burden include low education, female gender, cohabitation with the care recipient and lack of resources. General practitioners (GPs) have an important role in supporting caregivers.

Effects of the dementia care toolbox on personnel's self-reported confidence in patient care: a CRT in general practices.

Background: In rapidly aging populations, general practitioners (GPs) are challenged in dementia care of patients with and without migration background. Uncertainties in treating dementia in migrant patients due to language barriers or information deficits are reported. To address these deficits, we developed the Dementia Care Toolbox which was judged helpful by GP practice personnel.

Optimizing blood pressure control by an Information Communication Technology-supported case management (PIA study): study protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial of a delegation model for general practices.

Background: Longitudinal hypertension control prevents heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular diseases. However, 49% of patients in German family medicine practices do not reach blood pressure (BP) targets (< 140/90 mmHg). Drawing on successful international approaches, the PIA study introduces the PIA information and communication technology system (PIA-ICT) for hypertension management in primary care.