• Sebastian Kegreiss, Christian Studer, Patrick E Beeler, Stefan Essig, and Rebecca Tomaschek.
• Joint Medical Master University of Lucerne and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
• Eur J Gen Pract. 2023 Dec 1; 29 (1): 22711672271167.

BackgroundIncreasing numbers of primary care physicians (PCPs) are reducing their working hours. This decline may affect the workforce and the care provided to patients.ObjectivesThis scoping review aims to determine the impact of PCPs working part-time on quality of patient care.MethodsA systematic search was conducted using the databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. Peer-reviewed, original articles with either quantitative, qualitative or mixed methods designs, published after 2000 and written in any language were considered. The search strings combined the two concepts: part-time work and primary care. Studies were included if they examined any effect of PCPs working part-time on quality of patient care.ResultsThe initial search resulted in 2,323 unique studies. Abstracts were screened, and information from full texts on the study design, part-time and quality of patient care was extracted. The final dataset included 14 studies utilising data from 1996 onward. The studies suggest that PCPs working part-time may negatively affect patient care, particularly the access and continuity of care domains. Clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction seem mostly unaffected or even improved.ConclusionThere is evidence of both negative and positive effects of PCPs working part-time on quality of patient care. Approaches that mitigate negative effects of part-time work while maintaining positive effects should be implemented.

8 keywords...

hide…