Restructuring in a GP practice during the COVID-19 pandemic - a focus-group study.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Public Health Preparedness
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Municipal healthcare services outside urban centers often rely on single general practitioner (GP) practices.
• Local GP practices are vital for community healthcare preparedness.
• The COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 necessitated rapid restructuring within GP practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate healthcare personnel's perceptions of restructuring at their GP practice during the COVID-19 outbreak.
• To identify factors that facilitated and impeded this restructuring process.

Main Methods:

• A focus group interview was conducted with eight nurses and medical secretaries at a GP practice.
• The interview took place in June 2020 and was transcribed.
• Data analysis employed systematic text condensation.

Main Results:

• Personnel described a chaotic and demanding situation, managing both their own and patients' fears.
• Difficulties in crisis management arose due to municipal leadership's lack of awareness and initial absence of official guidelines.
• Collaboration and flexibility enabled new working methods, fostering a sense of coping, fellowship, and recognition of frontline importance.

Conclusions:

• Support staff are essential in crisis situations for GP practices.
• Empowered and well-equipped employees can guide practices from chaos to new operational models.
• Municipalities should provide necessary resources and clear guidelines for task prioritization during crises.