ORCID Profile
0000-0001-8967-5159
Current Organisations
Ghent University
,
Irish College of General Practitioners
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Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 15-09-2021
Abstract: ith the onset of COVID-19, general practitioners (GPs) and patients worldwide swiftly transitioned from face-to-face to digital remote consultations. There is a need to evaluate how this global shift has impacted patient care, healthcare providers, patient and carer experience, and health systems. e explored GPs’ perspectives on the main benefits and challenges of using digital remote care. Ps across 20 countries completed an online questionnaire between June – September 2020. GPs’ perceptions on main barriers and challenges were explored using free-text questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. total of 1,605 respondents participated in our survey. The benefits identified included reducing COVID-19 transmission risks, guaranteeing access and continuity of care, improved efficiency, faster access to care, improved convenience and communication with patients, greater work flexibility for providers, and hastening the digital transformation of primary care and accompanying legal frameworks. Main challenges included patient’s preference for face-to-face consultations, digital exclusion, lack of physical examinations, clinical uncertainty, delays in diagnosis and treatment, overuse and misuse of digital remote care, and unsuitability for certain types of consultations. Other challenges include the lack of formal guidance, higher workloads, remuneration issues, organisational culture, technical difficulties, implementation and financial issues, and regulatory weaknesses. t the frontline of care delivery, GPs can provide important insights on what worked well, why, and how during the pandemic. Lessons learned can be used to inform the adoption of improved virtual care solutions, and support the long-term development of platforms that are more technologically robust, secure. R2-10.2196/30099
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 29-07-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.07.28.21261021
Abstract: With the onset of COVID-19, general practitioners (GPs) and patients worldwide swiftly transitioned from face-to-face to digital remote consultations. There is a need to evaluate how this global shift has impacted patient care, healthcare providers, patient and carer experience, and health systems. We explored GPs’ perspectives on the main benefits and challenges of using digital remote care. GPs across 20 countries completed an online questionnaire between June – September 2020. GPs’ perceptions on main barriers and challenges were explored using free-text questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. 1,605 respondents participated in our survey. The benefits identified included reducing COVID-19 transmission risks, guaranteeing access and continuity of care, improved efficiency, faster access to care, improved convenience and communication with patients, greater work flexibility for providers, and hastening the digital transformation of primary care and the accompanying legal frameworks. Main challenges included patient’s preference for face-to-face consultations, digital exclusion, lack of physical examinations, clinical uncertainty, delays in diagnosis and treatment, overuse and misuse of digital remote care, and unsuitability for certain types of consultations. Other challenges include the lack of formal guidance, higher workloads, remuneration issues, organisational culture, technical difficulties, implementation and financial issues, and regulatory weaknesses. At the frontline of care delivery, GPs can provide important insights on what worked well, why, and how. Lessons learned during the emergency phase can be used to inform the stable adoption of virtual care solutions, and co-design processes and platforms that are technologically robust, secure, and supported by a strategic long-term plan.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 10-07-2023
Abstract: xpanding access to self-management via Digital Health Technologies may supplement traditional care, mitigating pressures on primary care through self-management. Primary Care Physicians can play a critical role in the integration of digital health technologies into patient care, but it is unclear what factors influence Primary Care Physicians’ recommendation of such technologies. o identify the factors associated with Primary Care Physicians recommending digital health technologies to patients for self-management before, and during the pandemic. rimary Care Physicians across 20 countries completed an online questionnaire between June-September 2020. The outcome was self-report of recommending patients to at least one of six listed forms of digital health technologies (symptom checker/self-assessment tools, online information resources, health trackers, and mindfulness apps, online counselling and crisis resolution services). Multivariate logistic regression models were performed to identify factors associated with recommending digital health technologies to patients before and during the pandemic. McNemar's Chi-squared (χ2) test was used to analyse changes during the pandemic. total of 1,592 Primary Care Physicians were included. Before the pandemic, odds of recommending digital health technologies for self-management were lower for Primary Care Physicians not involved in teaching (aOR 0.64, 95%CI 0.51-0.8), or practising in Turkey, Australia, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain (aORs range: aOR 0.18, 95%CI 0.1-0.34 [Turkey] aOR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.93) [Australia]). During the pandemic, Primary Care Physicians practising in rural settings had higher odds of starting to recommend digital health technologies (aOR=2.07 [1.19-3.58], as well as those from Brazil, Colombia, and Italy (aOR= 3.18 [1.13-8.76] 6.89 [2.97-16.6] and 3.85 [1.85-8.21], respectively]. There was no significant difference in recommending digital health technologies before and during the pandemic (53.2% vs 54.7%, P=0.215). nvolvement in teaching (pre-pandemic) and practising in a rural setting (during the pandemic) positively influenced recommendation of digital health technologies. Significant variation in recommending digital health technologies was present across countries. Further research is indicated to better understand potential drivers of variation, including characteristics of the populations served, as well as national health systems and policies.
Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc.
Date: 26-08-2021
DOI: 10.2196/30099
Abstract: In recent decades, virtual care has emerged as a promising option to support primary care delivery. However, despite the potential, adoption rates remained low. With the outbreak of COVID-19, it has suddenly been pushed to the forefront of care delivery. As we progress into the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need and opportunity to review the impact remote care had in primary care settings and reassess its potential future role. This study aims to explore the perspectives of general practitioners (GPs) and family doctors on the (1) use of virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic, (2) perceived impact on quality and safety of care, and (3) essential factors for high-quality and sustainable use of virtual care in the future. This study used an online cross-sectional questionnaire completed by GPs distributed across 20 countries. The survey was hosted in Qualtrics and distributed using email, social media, and the researchers’ personal contact networks. GPs were eligible for the survey if they were working mainly in primary care during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistical analysis will be performed for quantitative variables, and relationships between the use of virtual care and perceptions on impact on quality and safety of care and participants’ characteristics may be explored. Qualitative data (free-text responses) will be analyzed using framework analysis. Data collection took place from June 2020 to September 2020. As of this manuscript’s submission, a total of 1605 GP respondents participated in the questionnaire. Further data analysis is currently ongoing. The study will provide a comprehensive overview of the availability of virtual care technologies, perceived impact on quality and safety of care, and essential factors for high-quality future use. In addition, a description of the underlying factors that influence this adoption and perceptions, in both in idual GP and family doctor characteristics and the context in which they work, will be provided. While the COVID-19 pandemic may prove the first great stress test of the capabilities, capacity, and robustness of digital systems currently in use, remote care will likely remain an increasingly common approach in the future. There is an imperative to identify the main lessons from this unexpected transformation and use them to inform policy decisions and health service design. DERR1-10.2196/30099
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 16-05-2022
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PDIG.0000029
Abstract: With the onset of COVID-19, general practitioners (GPs) and patients worldwide swiftly transitioned from face-to-face to digital remote consultations. There is a need to evaluate how this global shift has impacted patient care, healthcare providers, patient and carer experience, and health systems. We explored GPs’ perspectives on the main benefits and challenges of using digital virtual care. GPs across 20 countries completed an online questionnaire between June–September 2020. GPs’ perceptions of main barriers and challenges were explored using free-text questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. A total of 1,605 respondents participated in our survey. The benefits identified included reducing COVID-19 transmission risks, guaranteeing access and continuity of care, improved efficiency, faster access to care, improved convenience and communication with patients, greater work flexibility for providers, and hastening the digital transformation of primary care and accompanying legal frameworks. Main challenges included patients’ preference for face-to-face consultations, digital exclusion, lack of physical examinations, clinical uncertainty, delays in diagnosis and treatment, overuse and misuse of digital virtual care, and unsuitability for certain types of consultations. Other challenges include the lack of formal guidance, higher workloads, remuneration issues, organisational culture, technical difficulties, implementation and financial issues, and regulatory weaknesses. At the frontline of care delivery, GPs can provide important insights on what worked well, why, and how during the pandemic. Lessons learned can be used to inform the adoption of improved virtual care solutions and support the long-term development of platforms that are more technologically robust and secure.
No related grants have been discovered for Claire Collins.