Journal of primary care & community health
-
J Prim Care Community Health · Jan 2021
Transforming Interprofessional Roles During Virtual Health Care: The Evolving Role of the Medical Assistant, in Relationship to National Health Profession Competency Standards.
Medical assistants (MAs) were once limited to obtaining vital signs and office work. Now, MAs are foundational to team-based care, interacting with patients, systems, and teams in many ways. The transition to Virtual Health during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a further rapid and unique shift of MA roles and responsibilities. We sought to understand the impact of this shift and to place their new roles in the context of national professional competency standards. ⋯ The transition to Virtual Health decreased MA's direct clinical work and expanded other roles within interprofessional care, notably quality improvement and technology support. Comparison of the current MA roles with national training program competencies identified new leadership and teamwork competencies which could be expanded during MA training to better support MA roles on inter-professional teams.
-
J Prim Care Community Health · Jan 2021
Physician Burnout in Primary Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Portugal.
Primary care physicians have been present on the frontline during the ongoing pandemic, adding new tasks to already high workloads. Our aim was to evaluate burnout in primary care physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as associated contributing factors. ⋯ Physician burnout in primary care is high and has increased during the pandemic. More studies are needed in the long term to provide a comprehensive assessment of COVID-19'simpact on burnout levels and how to best approach and mitigate it during such unprecedented times.
-
J Prim Care Community Health · Jan 2021
Budget Impact Analysis of Anticoagulation Clinics in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation under Chronic Therapy with Oral Anticoagulants.
To assess budget impact of the implementation of an anticoagulation clinic (AC) compared to usual care (UC), in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). ⋯ This study demonstrated that AC compared with UC, produced an important savings in the oral anticoagulation therapy for patients with NVAF.
-
J Prim Care Community Health · Jan 2021
Building eConsult (Electronic Consults) Capability at an Academic Medical Center to Improve Efficiencies in Delivering Specialty Care.
As the COVID-19 health crisis continues to reshape healthcare, systems across the country face increasing pressure to adapt their models of care to expand access to care, while also improving efficiency and quality in the face of limited resources. Consequently, many have shown a growing interest and receptivity to the expansion of telehealth models to help meet these demands. Electronic consultations (eConsults) are a telehealth modality that allow for a non-face-to-face asynchronous consultation between a primary care provider (PCP) and a specialist aimed at facilitating specialist input without the need for a patient visit. ⋯ We have worked to develop an infrastructure, delivery system integration, and care model adaptations that aim to improve delivery system performance by ensuring proper care in appropriate settings and lowering costs through reduced utilization. Lastly, we have increased care coordination, improved collaboration and better care transitions through strengthening of relationships between community-based PCPs and academic medical center-based specialists. This work has resulted in cost savings to patients and positive provider satisfaction.
-
J Prim Care Community Health · Jan 2021
COVID-19 Vaccination Perception and Attitude among Healthcare Workers in Egypt.
COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world, especially the frontline worriers. To get shielded through this war, the world is racing to reach and manufacture COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination hesitancy is one of the significant obstacles to global health. ⋯ Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, only approximately 21% of Egyptian healthcare workers in our study accepted the COVID-19 vaccination. Vaccine hesitancy represents a major barrier to implementing vaccination programs.