Insights into general practitioners' self-care across 38 countries during the pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The adoption of healthy self-care practices has proven necessary for professional life, as they often serve as a shield against stressors in the workplace. The COVID-19 pandemic created a high strain on general practitioners (GPs), contributing to increased workload, burnout, and anxiety. The present study aimed to identify self-care practices adopted by GPs amid the COVID-19 pandemic; and to explore the relationships between self-care practices and risk of distress.

GP emigration from Ireland: an analysis of data from key destination countries.

Background: Ireland is experiencing a general practitioner (GP) workforce crisis, facing an ageing workforce, a growing population with increased life expectancy, and increased complexity of patients. The GP crisis threatens access to primary care in Ireland, as well as Ireland's aim to transform into a primary-care centred system of universal healthcare via the proposed "Sláintecare" healthcare reforms. The challenges faced are common to many countries as health systems seek to expand their medical workforce post-pandemic.

Setting targets for antibiotic use in general practice in Europe: A scoping review.

Background: National Action Plans (NAPs) aim to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) understanding and awareness but struggle to translate targets into clinically relevant guidance for general practice.

Objective: To identify and map antibiotic use targets in European general practice and explore if and how these targets are linked to NAPs.

Methods: A systematic search was carried out in MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE and SCOPUS, with additional manual searches.

What impact does widening participation to medicine have on the medical workforce in the UK: a scoping review.

Purpose: Widening participation in medicine refers to the recruitment policy of encouraging those who are traditionally under-represented in medical school. Whilst research in the UK has investigated the processes around improving participation through recruitment and selection to medical schools, there is less focus around the period after medical school and how students from widening participation backgrounds fare in the workforce.

Methods: This study employed scoping review methodology to collate, map and summarise research in the field.

International medical graduates' experiences of clinical competency assessment in postgraduate and licensing examinations: A scoping review protocol.

An international medical graduate (IMG) is a doctor who has received their basic medical qualification from a medical school located in a different country from that in which they practice or intend to practice. IMGs are known to face difficulties in their working lives, including differential attainment in assessment. The objective of this review is to map key concepts and types of evidence in academic and gray literature relating to international medical graduates' experiences of clinical competency assessment and to identify knowledge gaps on this topic by systematically searching, selecting, and synthesizing existing knowledge.

Patient safety in general practice during COVID-19: a descriptive analysis in 38 countries (PRICOV-19).

Background: This article aims to examine patient safety in general practice during COVID-19.

Methods: In total, 5489 GP practices from 37 European countries and Israel filled in the online self-reported PRICOV-19 survey between November 2020 and December 2021. The outcome measures include 30 patient safety indicators on structure, process, and outcome.

Simulated GP clinic closure: effects on patient access in the Irish Mid-West.

Introduction: Rural communities can experience more barriers to accessing health care than their urban counterparts, largely due to fewer healthcare staff and services, and geographical isolation. The purpose of this study is to examine the availability of GP practices in rural communities across the Mid-West of Ireland and the potential impact of practice closure on patient access.

Methods: GP clinic locations were identified in Ireland's Mid-West, specifically counties Limerick and Clare.

Benefits and limitations of the transfer online of Irish College of General Practitioners continuing medical education small group learning during the COVID pandemic: a national Delphi study.

Background: In Ireland and internationally, small-group learning (SGL) has been shown to be an effective way of delivering continuing medical education (CME) and changing clinical practice.

Research Question: This study sought to determine the benefits and limitations, as reported by Irish GPs, of the change of CME-SGL from face-to-face to online learning during COVID.

Methods: GPs were invited to participate via email through their respective CME tutors.

Follow-up of patients with chronic conditions within primary care practices during COVID-19: Results from 7 Central and Eastern-European countries from the cross-sectional PRICOV-19 study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic posed severe challenges to delivery of services at Primary Care level and for achieving follow-up of patients with chronic diseases.

Objectives: We analysed data from the PRICOV-19 study to explore determinants of active follow-up for chronic disease patients in seven Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries during the pandemic.

Methods: Pricov-19 was a cross-sectional study conducted within PC (Primary Care) practices in 37 European countries.

Engaging primary care professionals in OECD's international PaRIS survey: a documentary analysis.

Healthcare professionals have first-hand experience with patients in clinical practice and the dynamics in the healthcare system, which can be of great value in the design, implementation, data analysis and dissemination of research study results. Primary care professionals are particularly important as they provide first contact, accessible, coordinated, comprehensive and continuous people-focused care. However, in-depth examination of the engagement of health professionals in health system research and planning activities-how professionals are engaged and how this varies across national contexts- is limited, particularly in international initiatives.

Enhancing long COVID care in general practice: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Research suggests that general practice can play an important role in managing long COVID. However, studies investigating the perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) and patients are lacking and knowledge regarding optimal long COVID care in general practice is therefore limited.

Aim: To investigate GPs' and patients' perspectives on the topic of long COVID and its management in general practice.

Did the organization of primary care practices during the COVID-19 pandemic influence quality and safety? - an international survey.

Background: Changes in demographics with an older population, the illness panorama with increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, and the shift from hospital care to home-based care place demand on primary health care, which requires multiprofessional collaboration and team-based organization of work. The COVID-19 pandemic affected health care in various ways, such as heightened infection control measures, changing work practices, and increased workload.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between primary care practices' organization, and quality and safety changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Features and frequency of use of electronic health records in primary care across 20 countries: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: Variation exists in the capabilities of electronic healthcare records (EHRs) systems and the frequency of their use by primary care physicians (PCPs) from different settings. We aimed to examine the factors associated with everyday EHRs use by PCPs, characterise the EHRs features available to PCPs, and to identify the impact of practice settings on feature availability.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Patient safety incidents in Irish general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: an exploratory practice level analysis.

Background: Patient safety is defined as the prevention of harm to patients and aims to prevent errors. This analysis explores factors associated with the reported occurrence of patient safety incidents (PSIs) in general practices in Ireland at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The PRICOV-19 was a cross-sectional study to record the (re)organisation of care provided in general practice and changes implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in 38 countries.

Opportunistic atrial fibrillation screening in primary care in Ireland: results of a pilot screening programme.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF), a common, frequently asymptomatic cardiac arrhythmia, is a major risk factor for stroke. Identification of AF enables effective preventive treatment to be offered, potentially reducing stroke risk by up to two-thirds. There is international consensus that opportunistic AF screening is valuable though uncertainty remains about the optimum screening location and method.

Profile of Irish female GPs and factors affecting long-term commitment: a descriptive study.

Background: Over the past two decades, many countries have reported an increased percentage of female staff in the general practice workforce. Considering the importance of general practice workforce planning, it is necessary to investigate the current working patterns of female GPs.

Aim: To describe the female GP workforce in Ireland and to investigate factors that may affect their long-term commitment to general practice.

Moving forward after the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned in primary care from the multi-country PRICOV-19 study.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the indispensable role of primary care. Recognising this, the PRICOV-19 study investigated how 5,489 GP practices across 38 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo*, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom) adapted their care delivery during the pandemic.

Methods: Based on a series of discussions on the results of the PRICOV-19 study group, eight recommendations to enhance primary care's preparedness for future crises were formulated and endorsed by EQuiP and WONCA Europe.

Use of telemedicine in general practice in Europe since the COVID-19 pandemic: A scoping review of patient and practitioner perspectives.

General practice is generally the first point of contact for patients presenting with COVID-19. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic general practitioners (GPs) across Europe have had to adopt to using telemedicine consultations in order to minimise the number of social contacts made. GPs had to balance two needs: preventing the spread of COVID-19, while providing their patients with regular care for other health issues.