Primary health care research & development最新文献

{"title":"Service evaluation of 'GP at Door' of accident and emergency services in Eastern England.","authors":"Julii Brainard, Aiden Rice, Gareth Hughes, Paul Everden","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000707","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000707","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>We describe activity, outcomes, and benefits after streaming low urgency attenders to <b>G</b>eneral practice services at <b>D</b>oor of <b>A</b>ccident and <b>E</b>mergency departments (GDAE).</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Many attendances to A&Es are for non-urgent health problems that could be better met by primary care rather than urgent care clinicians. It is valuable to monitor service activity, outcomes, service user demographics, and potential benefits when primary care is co-located with A&E departments.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>As a service evaluation, we describe and analyse GDAE users, reasons for presentation, wait times, outcomes, and co-located A&E wait times at two hospitals in eastern England. Distributions of outcomes, wait times, reasons for attendance, deprivation, and age groups were compared for GDAE and usual A&E attenders at each site using Pearson chi-square tests and accelerated time failure modelling. Performance in a four-hour key performance indicator was descriptively compared for co-located and similar emergency departments.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Each GDAE saw about 1025 patients per month. Wait times for usual accident and emergency (A&E) care are relatively short at only one site. Reattendances were common (about 11% of unique patients), 75% of GDAE attenders were seen within 1 hour of arrival, 7% of patients initially allocated to GDAE were referred back to A&E for further investigations, and 59% of GDAE patients were treated and discharged with no further treatment or referral required. Pain, injury, infection, or feeling generally unwell each comprised > 10% of primary reasons for attendance. At James Paget University Hospital, 4.3%, and at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 16.1% of GDAE attendances led to referral to specialist health services. GDAE attenders were younger and more socially deprived than attenders to co-located A&Es. Patients were seen quickly at both GDAE sites, but there were differences in counts of specialist referrals and wait times. Process evaluation could illuminate reasons for differences between study sites.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"26 ","pages":"e5"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11735119/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142960144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluating the implementation of online research training and mentorship among early-career family physicians in sub-Saharan Africa.","authors":"Darcelle Schouw, Robert Mash, Pius Ameh, Bolatito B Fatusin, Stephen Engmann","doi":"10.1017/S146342362400063X","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S146342362400063X","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Research is needed to improve the performance of primary health care. In Africa, few family physicians conduct research, and therefore an online research training and mentorship programme was developed to build research capacity amongst novice and early career researchers.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>To evaluate the implementation of the AfriWon Research Collaborative (ARC) training and e-mentorship programme in sub-Saharan Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A 10-module online curriculum was supported by peer and faculty e-mentorship, to mentor participants in writing a research protocol. A convergent mixed methods study combined quantitative and qualitative data to evaluate nine implementation outcomes.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Fifty-three participants (20 mentees, 19 peer mentors, and 14 faculty mentors), mostly male (70%), participated in the ARC online programme. The programme was seen as an acceptable and appropriate initiative. Mentees were mostly postgraduate students from African countries. Faculty mentors were mostly experienced researchers from outside of Africa. There were issues with team selection, orientation, communication, and role clarification. Only 35% of the mentees completed the programme. Alignment of mentoring in teams and engagement with the online learning materials was an issue. Costs were relatively modest and dependent on donor funds.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Despite many challenges, the majority of participants supported the sustainability of the programme. The evaluation highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the ARC programme and e-mentoring. The ARC working group needed to ensure better organization and leadership of the teams. Going forward the programme should focus more on developing peer mentors and local supervisory capacity as well as the mentees.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"26 ","pages":"e3"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11735121/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142960138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associate Psychological Practitioners (APPs) in primary care: modelling the impact.","authors":"Fiona Lord, Miranda Budd, Kathryn Jane Gardner, Gita Bhutani, Debbie Nixon","doi":"10.1017/S146342362400032X","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S146342362400032X","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The 'Associate Psychological Practitioner' (APP) is an innovative new role that expands the psychological workforce and addresses the rising demand for mental health services in England, yet the impact of this role on NHS workforce capacity has yet to be modelled.</p><p><strong>Aim: </strong>We modelled the impact of the APP role in Primary Care in terms of additional capacity to provide mental health care and the impact on General Practitioner (GP) capacity within the sector.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>Workforce experts of the NHS Workforce Repository and Planning Tool (WRaPT) team used a modelling tool to determine future state scenarios of APPs working across all Primary Care Networks (PCNs) within a region and the associated change on the baseline workforce. Modelling was based on Lancashire and South Cumbria, a large geographical area in North-West England that includes 41 PCNs. Assumptions used in the modelling included identifying the patient population and workforce in scope, documenting the activity undertaken by APPs, and considering the future state scenarios for modelling.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>With regard to generating additional capacity, having 1 APP in each of the 41 PCNs in Lancashire and South Cumbria could provide 53 000 brief intervention appointments of 45 min each, thereby diverting these appointments away from the GP, and up to 48 people could benefit from attending Group and Well-being sessions over a year with 1 APP working with another Primary Care colleague, that is, 384 group intervention sessions delivered. In relation to GP capacity, 1 APP (if placed across a PCN, or within multiple practices) could free up at least 1,665 GP appointments within one year, which could lead to potential cost savings. These findings can be used to underpin decision-making with respect to training future cohorts of APPs and contribute to wider workforce planning in primary care.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"26 ","pages":"e4"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11735113/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142960121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"PTSD and challenges among older Chinese in Shenzhen during COVID-19 pandemic: Trust in authority and medical professionals as moderators.","authors":"Jiahui Jin, Daniel W L Lai, Vincent W P Lee, Elsie Yan, Alison X T Ou, Julia Juan Wang","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000641","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000641","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>This research aimed to comprehensively explore the impact of diverse challenges encountered by older adults on the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It delved into how these effects vary depending on individuals' levels of trust in authority and medical professionals, providing a nuanced understanding of the interplay between external challenges, personal trust, and mental health outcomes in the older population.</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant hardships, particularly on the ageing population, with potential psychological repercussions such as PTSD. Notably, there is a dearth of research exploring this association within the context of Chinese older adults, a group that may experience unique impacts due to cultural differences in the face of global crises.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were collected from a representative sample of 1,211 participants aged 60 years and above in Shenzhen. Logistic and hierarchical linear regression methods were utilized to investigate the relationship between the challenges posed by COVID-19, public trust, and the manifestation of PTSD symptoms.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Higher levels of challenges related to 'supplies, services access and safety', 'abuse and conflicts', and 'anger and fear' were associated with PTSD. Furthermore, a lower level of challenges related to 'disease management and information' was associated with PTSD. Trust in authority or medical professionals was the moderator between the challenges brought about by COVID-19 and PTSD, which helped to lower the impact of challenges. Despite the challenges brought by COVID-19 to people, nurturing a stronger sense of trust in authority and medical professionals would ease older adults' psychological stress and concerns.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"26 ","pages":"e2"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11735118/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142960141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The healthcare experiences of rural-living Canadians with and without a primary care provider: a qualitative analysis of open-ended cross-sectional survey responses.","authors":"Kathy L Rush, Cherisse L Seaton, Lindsay Burton, Mindy A Smith, Eric P H Li","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000677","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000677","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study aimed to explore healthcare experiences of rural-living patients both with (attached) and without (unattached) a local primary care provider.</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Primary care providers serve a gatekeeping role in the Canadian healthcare system as the first contact for receiving many health services. With the shortage of primary care providers, especially in rural areas, there is a need to explore attached and unattached patient experiences when accessing healthcare.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional survey of rural patients both with (attached) and without (unattached) a primary care provider was conducted July-September 2022. An open-ended question gathered participants' thoughts and experiences with provider shortages.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>Overall, 523 (Mean age = 51 years, 75% female) rural British Columbia community members (306 attached; 217 unattached) completed the survey. Despite similar overall health, unattached patients received care less frequently overall compared to attached patients, including less frequent non-urgent and preventive care. The vast majority of attached patients sought care from a regular provider whereas unattached patients were more likely to use walk-in, emergency department, and urgent care and 29% did not seek care at all. Overall, 460 (88.0%) provided a response to the open-ended doctor shortage question. Similar themes were found among both attached and unattached participants and included: i) the ubiquity of the doctor shortage, ii) the precariousness or fluidity of attachment status, and iii) solutions and recommendations. Greater attention is needed on the negative and cyclical impacts provider shortages have for both attached and unattached patients alike.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"26 ","pages":"e1"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11735112/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142933567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Community pharmacist involvement in social prescribing for mental health: a qualitative study.","authors":"Denise A Taylor, Andrea D J Taylor, Matthew Jones, Hannah E Family","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000409","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000409","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>We aimed to explore participant perspectives on social prescribing (SP) for mental health and well-being and the acceptability of community pharmacists (CP) as members of SP pathways that support people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety.</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>SP aims to support people with poor health related to socio-demographic determinants. Positive effects of SP on self-belief, mood, well-being, and health are well documented, including a return to work for long-term unemployed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The study was set in a city in southwest England with diverse cultural and socio-demographics. We recruited SP stakeholders, including CP, to either one of 17 interviews or a focus group with nine members of the public.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>An inductive iterative approach to thematic analysis produced four superordinate themes: (1) offering choice a non-pharmacological option, (2) supporting pharmacy communities - 'it is an extension of what we do', (3) stakeholder perspectives - pharmacists are very busy and their expertise unknown by some, and (4) potential for pharmacy in primary care.Stakeholders viewed CP as local to and accessible by their community. Pharmacists perceived referral to SP services as part of their current role. General practitioner participants considered pharmacy involvement could reduce their workload and expand the primary healthcare team. Importantly, general practitioners and CP viewed SP as a non-pharmacological alternative to prescribing unnecessary antidepressants and reduce associated adverse effects. All participants voiced concerns about pharmacy dispensing busyness as a potential barrier to involvement and pharmacists requesting mental health training updates.Key findings suggest CP offer a potential alternative to the general practitioner for people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety seeking access to support and health information. However, CP need appropriately commissioned and funded involvement in SP, including backfill for ongoing dispensing, medicines optimization, and mental health first aid training.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"25 ","pages":"e69"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11669795/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142866668","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early detection efforts for colorectal and prostate cancer from the patient's perspective over the course of 12 years: results of the KABOT survey study.","authors":"Kay-Patrick Braun, Julia Maurer, Ingmar Wolff, Torsten Vogel, Steffen Lebentrau, Matthias May, Markus Herrmann","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000653","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000653","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>This study investigates the level of knowledge and utilization of colorectal cancer (CRC) and prostate cancer (PCa) early detection measures (EDMs) over a period of 12 years in general practice from the patient's perspective.</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>The role of general practitioners (GPs) in EDMs for CRC and PCa in Germany is not well-documented with comprehensive data.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a patient-centric survey in the German federal state of Berlin-Brandenburg at a 12-year interval to examine the role of GPs in EDMs for CRC and PCa. In 2009, 55 GPs were tasked with informing 50 consecutive male patients, each aged over 35, about participating in a survey study (study phase 1/SP1). To evaluate changes over 12 years, a new survey involving 50 male patients from each of 150 GPs was conducted from October 2021 to March 2022 (SP2).</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>We thoroughly reviewed the questionnaires of 890 patients, with 755 in SP1 and 135 in SP2. Patients showed greater awareness of recommendations regarding colonoscopy compared to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. GPs were the most frequently reported source of information for both EDMs in our cohort. Comparing the two study phases, no significant difference in specific awareness of colonoscopy or PSA testing was found among men eligible for EDMs. However, there was a notable increase in the role of health insurance companies as a source of information about colonoscopy over time. Nearly 60% of included patients underwent colonoscopy and/or PSA testing as EDMs.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The number of EDMs performed among study participants did not increase over time. Our study confirms that GPs remain the primary source of information about EDMs among the study participants.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"25 ","pages":"e68"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11669801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142830985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How should policymakers, funders, and research teams mobilize to build the evidence base on universal early years services?","authors":"Katie Harron, Sally Kendall, Catherine Bunting, Rebecca Cassidy, Julie Atkins, Amanda Clery, Eirini-Christina Saloniki, Francesca Cavallaro, Helen Bedford, Louise Mc Grath-Lone, Mengyun Liu, Jenny Woodman","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000550","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000550","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Health visiting in England is a universal service that aims to promote the healthy development of children aged under five years and safeguard their welfare. We consulted stakeholders about their priorities for research into health visiting and also used these consultations and a literature review to generate a logic model. Parents wanted research to explore how health visiting teams can provide a caring, responsive, accessible service (the mechanisms of change). Policymakers, commissioners, and clinical service leads wanted descriptions and evaluations of currently implemented and 'gold standard' health visiting. The challenges to evaluating health visiting (data quality, defining the intervention, measuring appropriate outcomes, and estimating causal effects) mean that quasi-experimental studies that rely on administrative data will likely underestimate impact or even fail to detect impact where it exists. Prospective and experimental studies are needed to understand how health visiting influences infant-parent attachments, breastfeeding, childhood accidents, family nutrition, school readiness, and mental health and well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"25 ","pages":"e67"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11669806/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142803792","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A plan to transform primary and community care at Catalonia based on a process improvement methodology.","authors":"Marc Sales Coll, Sara Manjón, Jeroni Salabert, Clara Pladevall, Daniel Algar, Alba Benaque, Júlia Soler, Anna Ochoa de Echagüen Aguilar","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000604","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000604","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>This article outlines the implementation and deployment strategy defined by the Catalan healthcare system which sought to promote a plan to strengthen and transform primary care in order to provide high-quality healthcare services whilst making an optimal use of resources across the Catalan region.</p><p><strong>Background: </strong>Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Catalan healthcare system initiated a plan to enhance primary care services. The Lean methodology has been used extensively in other sectors for process improvement. More recently, it has been adopted in large hospitals, showing good results, so Lean was selected as the most appropriate method to achieve this project's goal. The Process Office of the Catalan Health System, which is made up of experts in Lean methodology, has been involved in defining and deploying the strategy to all 374 Primary Care Teams (PCTs) within the Catalan healthcare system.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The deployment strategy was executed in four phases (each consisting of a number of sessions): (1) explaining the project's goals and training the professionals in the methodology; (2) assessing the current status regarding the processes with the various PCTs; (3) identifying and implementing improvement projects; and (4) defining key performance indicators to monitor the impact of the projects.</p><p><strong>Findings: </strong>As a conclusion, this project has allowed to successfully define and implement a standard at a strategic and deployment level of a project for primary care improvement that may be replicated in other regions. The key elements to ensure success have been the following: leadership, implementation of an improvement methodology, standardization of sessions, and involvement and training of front-line professionals.</p>","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"25 ","pages":"e65"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11669815/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142775497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Healthy ageing in long-term care? Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: a position paper.","authors":"Frode F Jacobsen, Stinne Glasdam, Heidi Haukelien, Maria E T C van den Muijsenbergh, Gudmund Ågotnes","doi":"10.1017/S1463423624000598","DOIUrl":"10.1017/S1463423624000598","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Aim: &lt;/strong&gt;This position paper focuses on healthy ageing for the frailest and institutionalized older adults in the context of the recent pandemic. The paper aims to identify and discuss hindering and promoting factors for healthy ageing in this context, taking both health safety and a meaningful social life into account, in a pandemic situation and beyond.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerability of frail older adults residing in long-term care institutions. This is a segment of the older population that does not seem to align well with the recent policy trend of healthy and active ageing. The need for healthy ageing in this population has been voiced by professionals and interest organizations alike, alluding to inadequate support systems during the pandemic, conditioned by both previous and newly emerging contextual factors. Supporting healthy ageing in older adults in nursing homes and other residential care settings calls for attending to meaningful social life as well as to disease control.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Findings and early conclusions leading up to the position paper were presented with peer discussions involving healthcare professionals and researchers at two joint EFPC PRIMORE workshops 2021 and 2022, as well as other international research seminars on long-term care. The following aspects of long-term care and COVID-19 were systematically discussed in those events, with reference to relevant research literature: 1. Long-term care policies, 2. pre-COVID state of long-term care facilities and vulnerability to the pandemic, 3. factors influencing the extent of spread of infection in long-term care facilities, and 4. the challenge of balancing between strict measures for infection control and maintaining a meaningful social life for residents and their significant others.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Findings: &lt;/strong&gt;A policy shift towards ageing at home and supporting the healthiest of older adults seems to have had unwarranted effects both for frail older adults, their significant others, and professional care staff attending to their needs. Resulting insufficient investment in primary health care staff and in the built environment for frail older adults in nursing homes were detrimental both for the older adults living in nursing homes, their significant others, and staff. More investment in staff and in physical surroundings might improve the quality of care and the social life of older adults in nursing homes in a non-pandemic situation and be a resource for primary health care staff ensuring both protection from health hazards and a meaningful social life for frail older adults in a pandemic or epidemic situation. As for investing in the physical surroundings, smaller nursing homes are advantageous, with singular resident rooms and for developing out-and indoor spaces for socializing and for meeting with families and other visitors. Regarding investment in staf","PeriodicalId":74493,"journal":{"name":"Primary health care research & development","volume":"25 ","pages":"e66"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11669808/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142752606","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}