Abstract

Background

Most COVID-19 patients were treated in primary health care (PHC) in Europe.

Objectives

To demonstrate the scope of PHC workflow during the COVID-19 pandemic emphasising similarities and differences of patient’s clinical pathways in Europe.

Methods

Descriptive, cross-sectional study with data acquired through a semi-structured questionnaire in PHC in 30 European countries, created ad hoc and agreed upon among all researchers who participated in the study. GPs from each country answered the approved questionnaire. Main variable: PHC COVID-19 acute clinical pathway. All variables were collected from each country as of September 2020.

Results

COVID-19 clinics in PHC facilities were organised in 8/30. Case detection and testing were performed in PHC in 27/30 countries. RT-PCR and lateral flow tests were performed in PHC in 23/30, free of charge with a medical prescription. Contact tracing was performed mainly by public health authorities. Mandatory isolation ranged from 5 to 14 days. Sick leave certification was given exclusively by GPs in 21/30 countries. Patient hotels or other resources to isolate patients were available in 12/30. Follow-up to monitor the symptoms and/or new complementary tests was made mainly by phone call (27/30). Chest X-ray and phlebotomy were performed in PHC in 18/30 and 23/30 countries, respectively. Oxygen and low-molecular-weight heparin were available in PHC (21/30).

Conclusion

In Europe PHC participated in many steps to diagnose, treat and monitor COVID-19 patients. Differences among countries might be addressed at European level for the management of future pandemics.

Details

Title
Clinical pathway of COVID-19 patients in primary health care in 30 European countries: Eurodata study
Author
Ares-Blanco, Sara 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Guisado-Clavero, Marina 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lourdes Ramos Del Rio 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Larrondo, Ileana Gefaell 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Fitzgerald, Louise 4   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Adler, Limor 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Assenova, Radost 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bakola, Maria 7   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bayen, Sabine 8 ; Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya, Elena 9   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Iliana-Carmen Busneag 10   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Philippe-Richard Domeyer 11   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gjorgjievski, Dragan 12   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Hoffmann, Kathryn 13   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ільков, Оксана 14 ; Karathanos, Vasilis Trifon 15   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Kirkovski, Aleksandar 16   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Knežević, Snežana 17   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Büsra Çimen Korkmaz 18   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Heleno, Bruno 19   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Nessler, Katarzyna 20   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Murauskienė, Liubovė 21   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Neves, Ana Luisa 22   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Naldy Parodi López 23   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Perjés, Ábel 24   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Petek, Davorina 25   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando 26   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Petricek, Goranka 27   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Seifert, Bohumil 28   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Serafini, Alice 29   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Sentker, Theresa 30   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Tiili, Paula 31 ; Torzsa, Péter 32   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Vaes, Bert 33   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gijs van Pottebergh 33   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Vinker, Shlomo 5   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Astier-Peña, María Pilar 34   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Gómez-Bravo, Raquel 35   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Lingner, Heidrun 36 

 Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain; Medical Specialties and Public Health, School of Health Sciences, University Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain 
 Investigation Support Multidisciplinary Unit for Primary Care and Community North Area of Madrid, Madrid, Spain 
 Federica Montseny Health Centre, Gerencia Asistencial de Atención Primaria, Servicio Madrileño de Salud, Madrid, Spain 
 Irish College of General Practice, MICGP, Royal College of Physician, MRCSI, Ireland 
 Department of Family Medicine, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel 
 Department Urology and General Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Plovdiv, Plovdiv, Bulgaria 
 Research Unit for General Medicine and Primary Health Care, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Science, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece 
 Department of General Practice, University of Lille, Lille, France 
 General Medicine Department, Belarusian State Medical University, Belarus 
10  Occupational Health Expert, Spiru Haret University, Bucharest, Romania 
11  School of Social Sciences, Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece 
12  Medical Faculty Skopje, Center for Family Medicine, Skopje, North Macedonia 
13  General Practice and Primary Care, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria 
14  Department of Family Medicine and Outpatient Care, Medical Faculty, Uzhhorod National University, Uzhhorod, Ukraine 
15  Medical Education Uni, Laboratory of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Medical Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece; GHS, Larnaca, Cyprus 
16  Faculty of Medicine, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, North Macedonia 
17  Health center Kraljevo, Kraljevo, Serbia 
18  Van Gürpınar District Public Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey 
19  Comprehensive Health Research Center, NOVA Medical School, University Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; USF das Conchas, Regional Health Administration Lisbon and Tagus Valley, Lisbon, Portugal 
20  Department of Family Medicine UJCM, University Jagielloński, Collegium Medicum, Jagielloński, Poland 
21  Department of Public Health, Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania 
22  Imperial College London, London, UK; Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal 
23  Närhälsan Kungshöjd Health Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Pharmacology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden 
24  Department of Family Medicine, University of Semmelweis, Budapest, Hungary 
25  Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia 
26  Department of Clinical Sciences in Malmö, Centre for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden 
27  Department of Family Medicine "Andrija Stampar" School of Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Health Centre Zagreb West, Zagreb, Croatia 
28  First Faculty of Medicine, Institute of General Practice, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic 
29  Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale di Modena, Modena, Italy; Laboratorio EduCare, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy 
30  Center for Public Health and Healthcare, Hannover, Germany 
31  Communicable Diseases and Infection Control Unit, City of Vantaa and University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 
32  Department of Family Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary 
33  Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium 
34  Territorial Quality Unit, Territorial Directorate of Camp de Tarragona, Institut Català de la Salut, Health Department, Generalitat de Catalunya, GIBA-IIS-Aragón, Spain; Patient Safety Working Party of semFYC (Spanish Society for Family and Community Medicine) and Quality and Safety in Family Medicine of WONCA World (Global Family Doctors), Catalunya, Spain 
35  CHNP, Rehaklinik, Ettelbruck . Luxembourg; Research Group Self-Regulation and Health. Institute for Health and Behaviour, Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences. Faculty of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences, Luxembourg University, Luxembourg, Luxembourg 
36  Hannover Medical School, Center for Public Health and Healthcare, Hannover, Germany Clinical investigators: Asja Ćosić Divjak a, Maryher Delphin Peña b, Mila Gómez-Johansson c, Miroslav Hanževački d, Shushman Ivanna e, Marijana Jandrić-Kočić f, Milena Kostić g, Anna Krztoń-Królewiecka h, Martin Sattler i, Natalija Saurek-Aleksandrovska j, Canan Tuz Yilmaz k, Kirsi Valtonen l & Kaliy Vasyl m 
Publication year
2023
Publication date
Dec 2023
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd.
ISSN
13814788
e-ISSN
17511402
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2823302015
Copyright
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.