COVID-19 vaccinations and counselling: a mixed-methods survey of Australian general practice in July 2021.

Background: GPs are integral to the COVID-19 vaccination rollout, providing education and administering vaccines. We sought to describe how counselling relating to COVID-19 vaccination was impacting Australian general practice consultations.

Methods: We conducted an online, mixed-methods, cross-sectional survey of Australian community-based primary care from 7 to 15 July 2021. This survey, number 15 in a series of recurrent cross-sectional surveys conducted over a 14-month period, explored how counselling relating to COVID-19 vaccination was impacting general practice consultations, through multiple selection and open text responses; it also included questions on respondent and practice characteristics, and pandemic-related stress and strain. We calculated descriptive statistics for quantitative variables, and analysed free-text responses using an inductive content analysis approach.

Results: We received 73 responses (72 GPs) across all states/territories. Discussions with patients about COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination were common, increasing the duration of routine consultations by 6min on average (s.d. 2.9). Respondents described the impact of the resulting time pressures, and the stress and challenges of participating in COVID-19 vaccine communication and administration. Although our results are illuminating, they are limited by the small sample, with some different characteristics from national estimates, an uncertain response rate and the inability to pilot the survey prior to distribution.

Conclusions: The significant impact on general practice consultation from COVID-19 vaccine counselling is on a background of ongoing pandemic-related stress and strain. With a strong track record of population vaccination, GPs are well-placed to deliver COVID-19 immunisations to the Australian population. However, they must be represented in planning and coordination, to reduce the overall burden on primary care.