The European journal of general practice
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Did aetiology matter in illness duration and complications in patients presenting in primary care with acute respiratory tract infections early in the COVID-19 pandemic: An observational study in nine countries.
Despite considerable research into COVID-19 sequelae, little is known about differences in illness duration and complications in patients presenting in primary care with symptoms of acute respiratory tract infections (RTI) that are and are not attributed to SARS-CoV-2 infection. ⋯ Early in the pandemic, the proportion of patients not feeling fully recovered by 28 days was similar between SARS-CoV-2 positive and negative patients presenting in primary care with RTI symptoms, but it took somewhat longer for SARS-CoV-2 patients to feel fully recovered. More research is needed on predictors of a complicated course in RTI.
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There is a paucity of prognostic models for COVID-19 that are usable for in-office patient assessment in general practice (GP). ⋯ We derived a risk model using readily available variables at GP assessment to predict hospital admission for COVID-19. It performed accurately across regions and waves. Further validation on cohorts with acquired immunity and newer SARS-CoV-2 variants is recommended.
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Observational Study
Monitoring COVID-19 in Belgian general practice: A tool for syndromic surveillance based on electronic health records.
COVID-19 may initially manifest as flu-like symptoms. As such, general practitioners (GPs) will likely to play an important role in monitoring the pandemic through syndromic surveillance. ⋯ The syndromic surveillance tool for COVID-19 in primary care provides rapidly available data useful in all phases of the COVID-19 pandemic to support data-driven decision-making. Potential enhancements were identified for a prospective surveillance tool.
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The COVID-19 pandemic posed severe challenges to delivery of services at Primary Care level and for achieving follow-up of patients with chronic diseases. ⋯ Patient follow-up, was influenced by different health system and practice-specific factors. The implications suggest the need for government support to enhance PC practice organisation during crises and solutions to decrease GP workload and provide tailored care for patients with chronic disease.
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Factors associated with the appropriateness of antibiotic prescribing in primary care have been poorly explored. In particular, the impact of computerised decision-support systems (CDSS) remains unknown. ⋯ Individual appropriateness for antibiotic prescribing was high among CDSS users, with a higher rate in young general practitioners, previously using the system. CDSS could improve antibiotic prescribing in primary care.