Family practice
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The internet has become a common source of health information; however, little is known about online health information-seeking behaviour (HISB) among patients in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). ⋯ Online HISB was common among primary care patients; however, their eHealth literacy was low, with suboptimal appraisal skills to evaluate the accuracy of online health information.
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Requests from patients that are regarded by GPs as unreasonable are a source of conflict between GPs and patients. This makes gatekeeping challenging, as GPs negotiate a struggle between maintaining the doctor-patient relationship, protecting patients from the harms of medical overuse and acting as stewards of limited health care resources. More knowledge of how GPs can succeed in these difficult consultations is needed. ⋯ Professional communication skills and relational continuity need to be prioritized for GPs to maintain their role as gatekeepers. However, support for the gatekeeping role within the profession as well as from society is also required.
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Pre-conception care is well known as part of opportunistic, proactive, preventive care for men and women throughout their reproductive years; to lower behavioural, environmental and health-related factors that could lead to poor maternal and foetal outcomes. Many studies have been conducted on the delivery of pre-conception care worldwide. However, no studies were conducted in Saudi Arabia on this topic. ⋯ The gained insight from the in-depth exploration of physicians' perspectives on pre-conception care helps direct future resources and efforts to both team-based, multi-disciplinary preventative approaches, and population education on the importance of preparing for a pregnancy.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has focussed attention on models of healthcare that avoid face-to-face contacts between clinicians and patients, and teleconsultations have become the preferred mode of primary care delivery. However, the effectiveness of remote consultations in this setting remains unclear. ⋯ Teleconsultations via telephone or videoconference are an effective alternative to face-to-face consultations for many patients attending primary care and mental health services. Teleconsultations have the potential to deliver time-efficient and lower-cost interventions at a distance while improving access to healthcare.