Health & social care in the community
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Health Soc Care Community · Jan 2018
Handovers in primary healthcare in Norway: A qualitative study of general practitioners' collaborative experiences.
Worldwide demographic development increases the pressure on healthcare services. In Norway, municipal acute wards (MAWs) have been established as a 24-hr acute healthcare service as a primary healthcare alternative to hospitalisation. General practitioners (GPs) are key holders of referrals to different healthcare service levels, yet studies of GPs' experiences with these wards are sparse. ⋯ After patient transfer, GPs felt uncertainty related to their own responsibilities for the patient. This study contributes new knowledge about GPs' experiences with collaboration and distribution of responsibility between primary and tertiary healthcare services. This information is essential when developing acceptable alternatives to general hospitals.