European Journal of General Practice最新文献

{"title":"'I felt I belonged': A qualitative study of role modelling and team integration as key drivers of primary care career choice.","authors":"Eva Pfarrwaller, Camille Laurent, Johanna Sommer, Anne Baroffio, Dagmar M Haller, Hubert Maisonneuve","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2527143","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2527143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Clinical placements significantly impact medical students' career choices. Primary care physicians supervising these placements can influence students' career decisions through role modelling and by creating supportive learning environments.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This qualitative study aimed to identify factors contributing to role modelling and students' sense of integration during placements and their influence on career decisions, with a focus on primary care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Semi-structured interviews were conducted with postgraduate trainees selected based on interest in primary care, exploring their experiences during undergraduate clinical placements and factors influencing career choices. Data were thematically analysed to identify key themes related to student integration, well-being, and supervisor role modelling.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Analysis revealed four key domains where primary care physicians can positively influence students' career interest: onboarding students effectively, fostering positive and inclusive team dynamics, involving students in patient care, and providing high-quality supervision and feedback. Students reported that feeling valued and socially included contributed to their well-being and professional self-efficacy, which in turn impacted their career choices.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Supportive and inclusive learning environments during placements are critical to fostering students' professional growth. While relevant across clinical settings, this study's findings hold particular significance for primary care due to the challenge of balancing clinical and practice management duties and teaching. Implementing structured onboarding, team integration, and effective supervision can enhance students' experiences and promote interest in primary care. Future research should extend these findings beyond primary care. The proposed roadmap could both spark interest in primary care and promote future collaboration between primary and secondary care.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2527143"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12258163/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144610331","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seven ways to optimise prevention in general practice and family medicine - a EUROPREV position paper to spark debate on prevention.","authors":"Veerle Piessens, Laura Rodriguez Benito, Serdar Öztora, Carlos Martins, John Brandt Brodersen","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2531880","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2531880","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prevention is a fundamental aspect of the work of general practitioners (GPs) and family doctors (FDs); however, its implementation poses significant challenges due to conflicting guidelines, time constraints, competing demands, and equity concerns. This position paper proposes seven guiding principles to help GPs and FDs navigate preventive care effectively. It encourages GPs/FDs to recognise the intrinsic preventive value of high-quality general practice and adopt a critical approach to the evidence underpinning preventive recommendations. Prioritising a limited number of preventive services with a strong evidence base and targeting those patients most likely to benefit will contribute to sustainable, evidence-based, and equitable patient care.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2531880"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12288180/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144692464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Recommendations of digital health applications to patients by Portuguese General Practitioners: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Tânia Matias Mendes, Elena Lammila-Escalera, Cristina Jácome, Ana Luísa Neves","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2567457","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2567457","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The growing adoption of digital health applications (apps) presents new opportunities for General Practitioners (GPs) to enhance care and empower patients. However, little is known about how Portuguese GPs incorporate these apps into their practice.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To identify the distinguishing characteristics of Portuguese GPs recommending the use of digital health apps to patients, and to investigate the facilitators and barriers influencing this behaviour.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to Portuguese GPs between July 2023 and January 2024. Univariate logistic regressions identified predictors of app recommendation. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests compared facilitators and barriers between groups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 126 GPs responded (72.2% women; median age 36 years [IQR: 31.8-43.0]); 45.2% recommended digital health apps. The most common were for apps for physical activity (32.4%), nutrition (21.3%), and chronic disease management (21.3%). Among GPs recommending apps, 70.2% did 1-4 times monthly. Most GPs believed that apps could improve chronic disease self-management (97.6%) and reduce face-to-face consultations (74.6%). GPs recommending apps were more likely to personally use health and fitness apps (OR 3.03), clinical decision apps (OR 3.79), and to believe that apps reduce face-to-face consultations (OR 3.46). GPs not recommending apps more often rated scientific validity as 'very important' (84.1% vs 61.4%, <i>p</i> = 0.006).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Nearly half of Portuguese GPs surveyed recommended digital apps, highlighting their potential to support self-management and reduce face-to-face consultation. Broader adoption may depend on fostering greater physician confidence in app use by strengthening the scientific evidence of apps.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2567457"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12604134/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145483884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Generative artificial intelligence for general practice; new potential ahead, but are we ready?","authors":"Geert-Jan Geersing, Niek J de Wit, Matthew Thompson","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2511645","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2511645","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Generative AI (Gen AI) is frequently cited as an innovation to address the current challenges in healthcare, also for primary care. Examples include automating tasks like voice-to-notes transcription or chatbots using large language models. Additionally, it may facilitate a learning healthcare system by generating personalised learning resources and real-time literature summaries. Yet - probably with the highest expectations - Gen AI may extend diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities in general practice by integrating complex, multimodal patient data for personalised care, enabling earlier disease detection, and providing real-time guidance for diagnostics, prognostics and treatments.</p><p><strong>Method & discussion: </strong>The authors of this opinion paper recently hosted a workshop at the WONCA Europe 2024 conference. From discussions at that workshop, three priorities emerge: practice support, education support, and clinical decision-making support. In this opinion paper, we argue that GPs and academic departments of primary care should lead in evaluating Gen AI across these three priorities. Primary care research must prioritise rigorous scientific evaluations, to ensure that developed tools actually work for GPs and their patients.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Hereto, a coordinated effort, driven by the primary care academic community, is needed, starting with research agenda drafting. A broad, international follow-up is scheduled following this WONCA Europe 2024 workshop.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2511645"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12147479/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144250874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving continuity of care in Finnish primary health care: Insights from a nationwide qualitative study of primary care physicians.","authors":"Ulla Mikkonen, Kadri Suija, Tuomas Koskela, Pekka Mäntyselkä, Nina Tusa","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2583546","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2583546","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Continuity of care (COC) is a core value in general practice. It has been deteriorating in Finnish primary health care, but there are now attempts to improve it.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study focused on gathering insights of primary care physicians (PCPs) on how COC can be improved within Finnish primary health care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a nationwide survey targeting all PCPs working in primary health care. A web-based questionnaire was sent to PCPs in Finland from May to October of 2023. The questionnaire included the question 'How would you improve continuity of care in your workplace?' Data were analysed using a descriptive approach that involved iterative and inductive thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We received a total of 291 responses from PCPs across Finland (7% response rate). We identified themes related to organisation (e.g. arrangement of practical work including the size of a health centre), practice-level (e.g. autonomy, including the opportunity to perform COC in daily work), and themes related to digital solutions (e.g. data of COC measured and available). PCPs had considerable insight into the development of COC in day-to-day operations.</p><p><strong>Conclusion(s): </strong>Enhancing COC for a primary care patient population requires a systemic perspective and structured, goal-oriented development efforts. However, small and discrete steps can also contribute to improving COC for individual patients. Our findings highlight the link between COC enhancement and the development of the health care system as a whole.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2583546"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12642884/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145574984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variation in the efficiency of English general practices and associated factors: A cross-sectional study of 5069 general practices.","authors":"Augustine Onwunduba, Jianhua Wu, Helena Painter, Helen Pearce, John Ford","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2580827","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2580827","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Healthcare demand in English general practice exceeds supply, necessitating practice efficiency. To our knowledge, no study has explored factors associated with practice efficiency in England using a quality-adjusted output.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To determine practice-level efficiency in England and identify associated factors using a quality-adjusted output.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional study using NHS datasets from 2023. Practice efficiency was determined by comparing input (measured using funding and workforce) with output (measured using clinical quality, patient experience, and service volume). Practices were classified as efficient (low input, high output), neutral (same input and output levels), or inefficient (high input, low output) using K-medoids clustering, a machine learning technique. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with practice efficiency (i.e. efficient or inefficient, excluding neutral).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 5069 practices, 1117 were classified as efficient, 2773 as neutral, and 1179 as inefficient. Efficiency was lower in practices with a larger patient list (adjusted odds ratio 0.23, 95% CI 0.19-0.28), those with a higher percentage of patients with a chronic condition (0.47, 0.38-0.58) or patients ≥ 65 years (0.63, 0.49-0.81), those in a higher deprivation area (0.25, 0.20-0.32), those that dispense medications (0.52, 0.37-0.73), and those with an alternative provider medical services (vs. general medical services) contract (0.15, 0.07-0.33). Efficiency was higher in urban practices (1.38, 1.00-1.90) and practices with a higher percentage of mixed (1.66, 1.24-2.21) or other ethnicity patients (1.78, 1.22-2.60).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Smaller practices were more efficient. Therefore, policies that encourage practice mergers may not deliver the efficiency gains expected.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2580827"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12624881/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145543446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Advanced practice nurses and their potential in home care for frail patients in rural France: A qualitative study.","authors":"Ariane Sacchetti, Alexandre Bellier, Christophe Pison, Mélanie Berube","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2574872","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2574872","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>The ageing population in Europe, particularly in rural areas, creates new health challenges, including patients with multiple comorbidities and difficult access to care. Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) could play a key role in improving access and care for frail older patients in France's rural areas, although how to achieve this remains unclear.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to identify the healthcare needs of frail patients living at home in rural areas and those of their healthcare providers to assess the potential role of APNs in addressing these needs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This interpretive descriptive qualitative study was conducted from June to September 2023, using focus groups (FGs). Three FGs with 20 participants, including healthcare providers and frail older people, were conducted in two French rural areas. Data were analysed using thematic analyse to identify key needs and potential APN contributions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The healthcare needs identified were: improving access to care, maintaining human interactions, and providing coordinated, preventive care. Participants emphasised the importance of interprofessional collaboration and the central role of APNs, whose expanded skillset enables them to coordinate care with caregivers and professionals. However, challenges remain, including a lack of understanding of the APN's skills and concerns about their integration within the care team.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>APNs could support access to person-centred, coordinated home care in rural areas by acting as key references for patients, caregivers, and teams. However, limited awareness of their role and concerns from other professionals remain barriers to their integration.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2574872"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12624916/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145543977","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Primary healthcare providers' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding cancer screening recommendation and referral in Georgia, 2023.","authors":"Marina Topuridze, Ana Kareli, Givi Javashvili, Nino Kiknadze, Nino Shiukashvili, Teona Todua, Tamar Melikidze, Ketevan Khetsuriani, Davit Otiashvili","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2582292","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2582292","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Cancer screening uptake in Georgia is only 13%. We aimed to assess cancer screening recommendations and referral practices among primary health care providers (PHC) and factors associated with these practices.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 2,958 doctors and nurses in PHC in November 2023, using descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses to assess the association between provider characteristics, system-level factors, and practices in recommending and referring for cancer screening.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Respondents were predominantly female (95%), mean age of 57.5 years, family doctors (56%), with >20 years' work experience (60%) and rural practice (67%). Almost all (98%) reported actively recommending and referring patients for cancer screening; however, 64.7% did so for only 1-5 patients per week, while 12% reported none. Predictors of higher recommendation and referral rates (≥6 patients per week) included being a family doctor (AOR 1.36; 95% CI: 1.11-1.67; <i>p</i> = 0.003), working in the capital city - Tbilisi (AOR 1.36; 95% CI: 1.14-1.95; <i>p</i> = 0.003), receiving comprehensive cancer screening training (AOR 1.49; 95% CI: 1.04-1.68; <i>p</i> = 0.024), reporting adequate infrastructure (AOR 1.39; 95% CI: 1.07-1.81; <i>p</i> = 0.015), reporting proper public promotion (AOR 1.41; 95% CI: 1.12-1.78; <i>p</i> = 0.003), and perceiving screening as part of their role (AOR 1.87; 95% CI: 1.52-2.30; <i>p</i> < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Despite strong belief in cancer screening, recommendation and referral rates remain low, underscoring the urgent need for policy reforms to enhance education, raise awareness, and improve infrastructure for effective cancer screening initiatives.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2582292"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12646092/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145598175","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"General Practice-led urgent care practice vs. emergency room - satisfaction of ambulatory patients with low urgency medical problems.","authors":"Katharina Schmalstieg-Bahr, Bastian Bessert, Penelope-Sophie Peters, Johanna Sophie Bobardt, Ulrich Mayer-Runge, Martin Scherer, Jan Oltrogge-Abiry","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2520218","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2520218","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Emergency room (ER) utilisation by ambulatory patients with low urgency medical problems leads to ER-capacity use and long waiting times. Establishing General Practice (GP)-led urgent care practices (UCP) adjacent to ERs allows to triage patients from the ER to the UCP. However, patients may perceive themselves as ER-cases and expect ER-treatment including extensive diagnostics.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To assess UCP-patients' satisfaction compared to ambulatory ER-patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Sub-analysis (11/2019-01/2020) of a prospective, monocentric observational study at the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf ER and co-located UCP focusing on patient survey data including demographics, waiting time and diagnoses. Satisfaction, uncertainty and appropriateness of waiting time was assessed with 4-point Likert-scales.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Analysing 1196 UCP- and 597 ER-patients, patient satisfaction correlated positively with perceived appropriate waiting time in both groups. But more UCP-patients deemed their waiting time appropriate (76.7% vs. 70.4%; <i>p</i> = 0.004) and reported to be very satisfied with the treatment (64.7% vs. 55.8%; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Time until the first physician contact was nearly equal, but the entire length of stay was shorter in the UCP (104 ± 88.0 min vs. 179 ± 301 min; <i>p</i> < 0.001). In both groups, satisfaction was reduced by on-going uncertainty after the visit, but uncertainty was higher among UCP-patients (32% vs. 25%; <i>p</i> = 0.003). Age, gender or diagnosis had no influence on patients' satisfaction. More UCP-patients stated that today's problem could have been treated by a GP (57% vs. 15%; <i>p</i> < 0.001) and were advised to follow up in an outpatient setting.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Treating patients in an UCP does not lead to overall dissatisfaction.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2520218"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12207775/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144509374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards consensus: The need for standardised definitions in Long (post) COVID care in 34 European countries.","authors":"Raquel Gomez-Bravo, Sandra León-Herrera, Marina Guisado-Clavero, Ileana Gefaell, Xenia Wostmann, Nathalie Wössner, Shlomo Vinker, Francesca Vassallo La Ferla, Erva Kırkoç Üçüncü, Georgi Tsigarovski, Péter Torzsa, Kadri Suija, Aleksander Stepanović, Theresa Sentker, Anna Segernäs, Bohumil Seifert, Marta Sánchez-Castro, Jochen G Schneider, Anna Repovská, Ferdinando Petrazzuoli, Davorina Petek, Abel Perjes, Naldy Parodi López, Ana Luisa Neves, Katarzyna Nessler, Jean Muris, Achim Mortsiefer, Sarah Moreels, Tatjana Meister, Pekka Mäntyselkä, Liubovė Murauskienė, Heidrun Lingner, Anna Krztoń-Królewiecka, Milena Kostic, Büsra Çimen Korkmaz, Snezana Knezevic, Stylianos Kazakos, Vasilis Karathanos, Ivanna Shushman, Oksana Ilkov, Kathryn Hoffmann, Bruno Heleno, Miroslav Hanževački, Dragan Gjorgjievski, Thomas Frese, Marta Fournier, Louise Fitzgerald, Sabīne Feldmane, Marina Dotsenko, Philip-Richard Domeyer, Daniel Croucher, Vojtech Cerny, Jako S Burgers, Elena Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya, Carmen Iliana Busneag, Nicola Buono, Sherihane Bensemmane, Sabine Bayen, Maria Bakola, Radost Assenova, Limor Adler, Sara Ares-Blanco, María Pilar Astier Peña","doi":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2535618","DOIUrl":"10.1080/13814788.2025.2535618","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted global healthcare systems, leading to challenges in managing Long COVID. Variations in definitions and diagnostic criteria across Europe hinder recognition and treatment efforts. This study aims to analyse and compare the definitions of Long COVID used in 34 European countries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective descriptive study was conducted involving key informants from 34 European countries, utilising an online questionnaire to gather data on Long COVID definitions. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were employed to assess the variability of definitions and challenges in managing Long COVID.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The study found significant variation in Long COVID definitions among the participating countries; the most frequent definition was the other definition (n: 17, 50.0%), followed by the World Health Organisation's definition (n: 16, 47.0%) and the CDC definition (n: 11, 32.3%). Half of the countries reported using multiple definitions simultaneously, indicating a lack of standardisation. Qualitative analyses highlighted challenges such as difficulties in standardising terminology, variability in clinical criteria, and issues with implementing diagnostic codes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings underscore the need for a unified, yet adaptable, definition of Long COVID. Such a definition would support general practitioners (GPs) by simplifying diagnostic processes, improving continuity of care, and facilitating equitable patient access to multidisciplinary resources. The current lack of consensus complicates patient care, data collection, and resource allocation, impacting health policy development. Future efforts should focus on achieving agreement on definitions to ensure equitable treatment and effective healthcare responses to Long COVID.</p>","PeriodicalId":54380,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of General Practice","volume":"31 1","pages":"2535618"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12404089/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144979223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}