Abstract
AbstractCommunity-based primary care, such as general practice (GP) or urgent care, serves as the primary point of access to healthcare for most Australians and New Zealanders. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has created significant and ongoing disruptions to primary care. Traditional research methods have contributed to gaps in understanding the experiences of primary care workers during the pandemic. This paper describes a novel research design and method that intended to capture the evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on primary care workers in Australia and New Zealand. Recurrent, rapid cycle surveys were fielded from May 2020 through December 2021 in Australia, and May 2020 through February 2021 in New Zealand. Rapid survey development, fielding, triangulated analysis and dissemination of results allowed close to real-time communication of relevant issues among general practice workers, researchers and policy-makers. A conceptual model is presented to support longitudinal analysis of primary care worker experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand, and key learnings from applying this novel method are discussed. This paper will assist future research teams in development and execution of policy-relevant research in times of change and may inform further areas of interest for COVID-19 research in primary care.
Funder
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Andrew and Corey Morris-Singer Foundation
Samueli Institute
Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Reference45 articles.
1. Australian Institute of Health and Wellfare. Primary health care. Canberra; 2020. Contract No.: Cat. no AUS 232.
2. Goodyear-Smith F, Ashton T. New Zealand health system: universalism struggles with persisting inequities. Lancet. 2019;394(10196):432–42.
3. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Vision for general practice and a sustainable healthcare system. East Melbourne, Victoria; 2019.
4. Australian Government Department of Health. Australian health management plan for pandemic influenza. Canberra: Australian Government; 2019.
5. Desborough J, Dykgraaf SH, Phillips C, Wright M, Maddox R, Davis S, et al. Lessons for the global primary care response to COVID-19: a rapid review of evidence from past epidemics. Fam Pract. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmaa142.