General practitioners' views and experiences in caring for patients after sepsis: a qualitative interview study

Area of Science:

• Critical care medicine
• Primary care research
• Health services research

Background:

• Patients surviving critical illnesses like sepsis often experience long-term complications requiring primary care.
• General practitioners' (GPs) role and challenges in providing critical illness aftercare are not well understood.
• An outreach training program was developed and implemented within a randomized controlled trial to address these gaps.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore GPs' perspectives and experiences in managing patients after sepsis.
• To assess GPs' views on participating in a specific outreach training program for sepsis aftercare.
• To identify areas for improving critical illness aftercare in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• A qualitative study employing semistructured interviews.
• 14 general practitioners from primary care practices in Berlin, Germany, participated.
• Participants had engaged in a structured sepsis aftercare program.

Main Results:

• GPs emphasized the importance of continuity of care and patient relationships.
• Interviews revealed GPs' experiences during patients' critical illness and the impact of persistent symptoms.
• Outreach education was perceived as acceptable, beneficial for improving knowledge of post-intensive care complication management, and useful for daily practice.

Conclusions:

• GPs are integral to providing ongoing care for sepsis survivors.
• Enhanced communication between intensive care units and GPs is crucial.
• Targeted training in managing long-term sepsis complications can significantly improve aftercare.