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Research on the Primary Care Services, Patients Safety and Primary Healthcare Workers Training in the Face of Adversity

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Health Care Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 5175

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Filipe Prazeres

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Guest Editor

1. Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6200-506 Covilhã, Portugal
2. Family Health Unit Beira Ria, 3830-596 Gafanha da Nazaré, Portugal
Interests: multimorbidity; chronic diseases; family medicine; primary care; quality of life; geriatrics; public health

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We can all agree that we are living in unique and challenging times, not only for patients but also for primary healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, community pharmacists, psychologists, dentists, and so many others who work in teams providing primary care). In this uncertainty that we are currently experiencing, as a primary healthcare worker, I am finding work much more challenging than I had anticipated. Primary care services have changed due to the pandemic, with increases in online bookings and remote consultations, after which new scenarios of war are now increasing the risk of infectious diseases and threatening the lives of several people. Primary care services play an important role in preventing ill health, both physically and mentally, not only of our patients and their families but also of migrants and refugees,. The purpose of this Special Issue, “Research on the Primary Care Services, Patients Safety and Primary Healthcare Workers Training in the face of adversity” of the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, is to gather recent research that shows the importance of primary care services for surpassing current health challenges. We look forward to submissions that include theory-based investigations in the form of experimental studies, observational designs with follow-up measurements, or systematic reviews. This Special Issue plans to answer the following questions (although similar research questions may be considered): How do patients access primary care services nowadays? Does digital technology promote health equality in primary care services? What are the new strategies for primary care services in adapting to current adversities? Are primary care teams resilient enough? Have the roles of the primary healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, community pharmacists, psychologists, dentists, and all others who work in teams providing primary care) changed? How can primary care teams increase patients’ safety? Do we need to change the future training of primary healthcare workers and address how to face adversity?

Prof. Dr. Filipe Prazeres
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2500 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

primary care
family medicine
adversity
resilience
health equality
patient access
role of the primary healthcare workers
patients’ safety
training of primary healthcare workers
teamwork
doctors
nurses
community pharmacists
psychologists
dentists

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relational Coordination at the Primary–Secondary Care Interface: Insights from a Cross-Sectional Survey in the South Tyrolean Healthcare System

by Christian J. Wiedermann, Verena Barbieri, Adolf Engl and Giuliano Piccoliori

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2024, 21(4), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph21040425 - 30 Mar 2024

Viewed by 1050

Abstract

Understanding the dynamics of teamwork and communication among healthcare professionals is crucial in the face of evolving healthcare challenges. This study assessed relational coordination among healthcare professionals in the South Tyrolean healthcare system in Italy, focusing on communication and teamwork dynamics in a cross-sectional survey. Using the validated Relational Coordination Survey (RCS) instrument and 525 completed online responses, the questionnaire aimed to understand the implications of different levels of relational coordination ratings by general practitioners, hospital physicians, nurses, and administrative personnel (response rate 26%). The demographics of the participants revealed a predominance of female professionals (64%), with an average age of 50 and 18 years of service. The resulting RCS scores varied significantly across professional groups, with nurses reporting the highest within-group scores, indicating moderate coordination, and administrators reporting the lowest scores, reflecting areas of weak coordination. Between-group relational coordination was generally perceived as weak across professional groups, with the least weakness observed between general practitioners and nurses. German or Italian language and health district affiliation emerged as significant factors influencing relational coordination ratings, highlighting the need for differentiated understanding and strategies in multilingual and diverse regional settings. Assessments of interdisciplinary feedback and referral practices highlight the variation in teamwork and communication weaknesses and underscore the need for targeted interventions to improve relational coordination. This study provides insights into the complexity of relational dynamics in health care settings. This suggests that improving relational coordination through tailored strategies could significantly improve team effectiveness, quality of patient care, and overall system efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Primary Care Services, Patients Safety and Primary Healthcare Workers Training in the Face of Adversity)

16 pages, 353 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accreditation of Quality in Primary Health Care in Chile: Perception of the Teams from Accredited Family Healthcare Centers

by Juan Coss-Mandiola, Jairo Vanegas-López, Alejandra Rojas, Pablo Dubó, Maggie Campillay-Campillay and Raúl Carrasco

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2477; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032477 - 30 Jan 2023

Viewed by 1661

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the perception of the health teams belonging to the Family Healthcare Centers (CESFAMs) that are accredited, regarding the process of implementation and the achievement of accreditation. A qualitative approach was applied, with contributions from grounded theory, through the technique of individual in-depth interviews and focus groups. The interviews were carried out in nine accredited CESFAMs. For the presentation, organization and analysis of the data, Atlas.ti V9 software was used. From the results, derived from the open phase of the analysis, obtained from the opinions of the participants, a total of 26 categories emerged relating to the facilitating and hindering factors of the process. From the axial phase, it was possible to establish central categories that were related to quality management policies, the structure of Primary Health Care (PHC), participation and co-construction, and leadership and change management. In conclusion, the discourse of the teams reveals the need to have necessary conditions for the accreditation process, which are mainly related to training, characteristics of the types of leadership and teamwork in harmony with the process. Finally, the study reveals a gap in the community participation in this process, which suggests continuing this line of research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Primary Care Services, Patients Safety and Primary Healthcare Workers Training in the Face of Adversity)

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10 pages, 943 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effects of Monetary Incentives on Physicians’ Effort and Patient Satisfaction: Understanding the Links between Monetary Incentives and Physicians’ Effort

by Chenhao Yu, Xiaoyan Li, Huigang Liang, Zhiruo Zhang and Dong Fang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(20), 13075; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013075 - 11 Oct 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1633

Abstract

How monetary incentives promote physicians’ job performance in terms of patient satisfaction has been widely discussed. The incentive dilemma debate concerns whether monetary incentives reduce physicians’ intrinsic motivation at work and even lead to moral hazard. This study investigated monetary incentive policies in a hospital and analyzed how monetary incentives affect performance and behavior. By means of income composition grouping, a treatment group and control group were established, and the identification of the effect on performance was implemented using the difference-in-difference (DiD) method. The mechanism analysis was implemented using the event-study approach (ESA) and path analysis. The study found that (1) monetary incentives promote physicians to improve patient satisfaction, and the average effect is a two-point increment (p < 0.0001); (2) the effects are short-term; and (3) in contrast to many criticisms, the improvement in patient satisfaction was mainly from the effort in working during the monetary incentive policy. The results of this study contribute empirical evidence regarding the effects of monetary incentives and their mechanism and can help hospital management formulate incentive plans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Primary Care Services, Patients Safety and Primary Healthcare Workers Training in the Face of Adversity)

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