• Marco Toselli, Ignazio Palazzi, Martina Lambertini, Andrea Maurizzi, Alberto Cereda, Arif Khokhar, Stefano Landi, Fabrizio Toscano, and Giovanni Marasco.
• From the Interventional cardiology unit, GVM Care and Research, Maria Cecilia Hospital, Cotignola, Ravenna, Italy (MT, AC, AK); Primary Health Care Department, AUSL Romagna, Italy (IP); Dermatology unit, IRCCS di Policlinico Sant'Orsola, Via Massarenti 9, Bologna, Italy (ML); Dermatology unit, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Italy (ML); Primary Health Care Department, AUSL Bologna, Italy (AM); Gastroenterology and Interventional Endoscopy Unit, Local Health Authority of Bologna, Italy (SL); Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY (FT); IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy (GM). marco.toselli2@gmail.com.
• J Am Board Fam Med. 2021 Feb 1; 34 (Suppl): S222-S224.

BackgroundSince December 2019, the dramatic escalation in coronavirus (COVID-19) cases worldwide has had a significant impact on health care systems. Family physicians (FPs) have played a critical role in the coordination of care.Materials And MethodsIn April 2020, we performed an online prospective survey to assess the impact of the pandemic on FPs' practices.ResultsThree hundred FPs were included. Mean age was 53.6 ± 13.5 years. Before the pandemic, 60.2% reported >75 outpatient visits/week, which reduced down to an average of <20/week for 79.8% of FPs; 24.2% of FPs discontinued home visits, while for 94.7% of FPs there was a >50% increase in the number of telephone consultations. Concern related to the risk of contagion was elevated (≥3/5 in 74.6%) and even higher to the risk of infecting relatives and patients (≥3/5 in 93.3%). The majority of FPs (87%) supported the role of telemedicine in the near future. Satisfaction regarding the network with hospitals/COVID-19-dedicated wards received a score ≤2/5 in 46.9% of cases.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the working practices of FPs. A collaboration is needed with well-established networks between FPs and referral centers to provide new insights and opportunities to inform future working practices.© Copyright 2021 by the American Board of Family Medicine.

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