Perceptions and attitudes regarding delayed antibiotic prescription for respiratory tract infections: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotics are overprescribed for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). However, the decision to prescribe is often complex. Delayed antibiotic prescription (DAP), a strategy designed to promote more rational antibiotic use, is still not widely used. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions and attitudes in primary care professionals, regarding antibiotic use and different DAP strategies for uncomplicated RTIs. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study, using an inductive thematic approach to generate themes, based on focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with professionals, recruited from 6 primary care centres (Barcelona metropolitan area, Spain). RESULTS: 26 professionals (25 family physicians and one nurse) were included in four focus group discussions and three semi-structured interviews. Participants commented that RTIs were a main reason for consultation, motivated often by patient anxiety and fear of possible complications, and this was associated with the patients' poor health-related education. Acknowledging inappropriate antibiotic use in the health system, participants attributed this, mainly to defensive medicine strategies. DAP was used when in doubt about the aetiology, and considering factors related to patient-physician interactions. The main perceived advantage of DAP was that it could reduce the need for additional visits, while the main disadvantage was uncertainty regarding proper use by the patient. CONCLUSIONS: DAP was used by participants in cases of doubt, in specific situations, and for specific patient profiles. Weak points were detected in our primary care system and its users that affect the proper use of both antibiotics and DAP, namely, time pressure on professionals, poor patient health-related education, and the lack of a patient-physician relationship in some scenarios.

Atención primaria de salud: una mirada global para orientarnos en lo local / Primary Health Care: a global view to orient ourselves locally

RESUMEN La atención sanitaria en general y la atención primaria de salud en particular necesitan ser pensadas y desarrolladas atendiendo a las cambiantes realidades sanitarias y sociales. Dichas realidades, complejas y diversas en función de las particularidades de cada país y la evolución de sus servicios de salud, presentan a su vez determinados retos comunes a los que también deberíamos responder de manera compartida. El presente trabajo es una reflexión abierta acerca de las características básicas de la atención primaria desde una perspectiva internacional, elaborada y compartida en el contexto del II Simposio de Atención Primaria Social, organizado por la Universidad de Caldas en noviembre de 2019. Utilizando la metáfora de la travesía por mar, se resitúan los principales atributos y condicionantes de la atención primaria a modo de carta de navegación y se sugieren los referentes de una posible brújula que puedan servirnos para sortear amenazas y avanzar conjuntamente hacia una atención primaria pública de calidad y al servicio de la salud de nuestras poblaciones.

ABSTRACT Health care in general and Primary Health Care in particular need to be thought and developed in response to changing health and social realities. These realities, complex and diverse depending on the particularities of each country and the evolution of their health services, present at the same time certain common challenges to which we should also respond in a shared way. The present work is an open reflection about the basic characteristics of Primary Health Care from an international perspective, elaborated and shared in the II Symposium of Social Primary Care organized by the University of Caldas in November 2019. Using the metaphor of the sea crossing, the main attributes and constraints of Primary Health Care are restored as a navigation chart and the references of a possible compass are suggested, which could serve us for the sake of threats and jointly advance towards a quality, public Primary Health Care at the health service of our new populations.

[]"Sacred encounters" in primary care: What do they mean for family physicians?] / «Consultas sagradas¼ en atención primaria: ¿qué suponen para el personal médico?

OBJECTIVE: To determine the perceptions and attitudes of the general practitioners (GP) towards consultations with great emotional component, initially called "sacred encounters", and to identify areas of improvement. DESIGN: A qualitative methodology based on a socio-subjective approach and focused on health services research. Descriptive-interpretative study. LOCATION: Health Centres of Alava and Biscay. PARTICIPANTS: Selection of 23 GP from 23 urban and rural Health Centres. METHOD: Intentional sampling aimed at looking for discursive diversity. Data generated in 2016 by means of 3 discussion groups and 3 individual interviews recorded and transcribed after informed consent. Presentation to the ethics committee of the Basque Country. Thematic analysis with the aid of conceptual maps and MaxQDA program. Triangulation of the results between researchers and verification by the participants. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The findings were clustered into overlapping thematic areas related to the meaning of these encounters, attitudes of GP, health context, and patients. The importance of the emotions in primary care encounters and their invisibility is underlined, but the adequacy of the term "sacred" is questioned. This expression is built into the GP-patient relationship, if GP favours it and the patient also allows it, discussing the main circumstances that intervene in an essential dimension of integral care. CONCLUSIONS: The attention to the emotional dimension in the encounters has deficiencies that need to be corrected. In addition to its recognition and evaluation, it would be necessary to modify the organisational, training and professional factors that determine the involvement of the GPs in their good health care.

[Gender inequalities in the impacts of informal elderly caregiving in Gipuzkoa: CUIDAR-SE study]. / Desigualdades de género en los impactos del cuidado informal de mayores dependientes en Gipuzkoa: Estudio CUIDAR-SE.

OBJECTIVE: The provision of informal care determines the existence of health inequalities, as well as gender inequalities, because of women being the most frequent caregivers. The objectives of this study were to characterize the informal caregivers of elderly dependents in Gipuzkoa, to know the impact of caring on health and health related quality of life (HRQoL), and to explain the relationship between sex and consequences attributable to care. METHODS: Cross-sectional study analyzing health (self-perceived health and GHQ-12) and HRQoL (EQ-5D-5L) data of 123 women and 103 men who took care of a dependent elderly and participated in the first wave of the CUIDAR-SE study in Gipuzkoa. A descriptive study was performed, and a logistic regression analysis was carried out to examine the association between sex and the consequences attributable to care. RESULTS: Women and men were over 60 years old, married, with primary education or less, and took care of their parents mainly. Women presented worse perceived health (46.3% vs 32.0%) and mental health (23.3% vs 13.9%), and more problems in the dimensions of anxiety/depression (35.0% vs 21.4%) and pain/discomfort (52.8% vs 31.1%) of EQ-5D-5L.The regression model showed greater risk of fatigue (OR = 2.83; 95% CI:1.53-5.24) and burden (OR = 1.87; 95% CI: 1.06-3.29) among women than among men. CONCLUSIONS: There are gender inequalities in the provision of informal care to dependent elderly people in Gipuzkoa, with women having a greater impact on their health and HRQoL than men. Considering the organization of care in this province, it will be necessary to design improvement actions more suited to the needs of caregivers.

OBJETIVO: La prestación de cuidados informales determina la existencia de desigualdades en salud, a las cuales se suman las desigualdades de género por el papel mayoritario de las mujeres en dicha prestación. Los objetivos de este estudio fueron caracterizar a la población cuidadora informal de mayores dependientes en Gipuzkoa, conocer los impactos de cuidar sobre la salud y la calidad de vida relacionada con la salud (CVRS), y explicar la relación entre el sexo y las consecuencias atribuibles al cuidado. METODOS: Estudio transversal en el que se analizaron datos de salud (salud percibida y GHQ-12) y CVRS (EQ-5D-5L) de 123 mujeres y 103 hombres cuidadores de mayores dependientes que participaron en la primera oleada del estudio CUIDAR-SE en Gipuzkoa. Se realizó un estudio descriptivo, y un análisis de regresión logística para examinar la asociación entre el sexo y las consecuencias del cuidado. RESULTADOS: Mujeres y hombres tenían más de 60 años, estaban casadas/os, tenían educación primaria o inferior, y cuidaban a sus progenitores fundamentalmente. Las mujeres presentaban peor salud percibida (46,3% vs 32,0%) y mental (23,3% vs 13,9%), y más problemas en las dimensiones de ansiedad/depresión (35,0% vs 21,4%) y dolor/malestar (52,8% vs 31,1%) de laEQ-5D-5L. El modelo de regresión mostró mayor riesgo de cansancio (OR=2,83; IC95%:1,53-5,24) y sobrecarga (OR=1,87; IC95%:1,06-3,29) en mujeres que en hombres. CONCLUSIONES: Existen desigualdades de género en la provisión de cuidados informales a mayores dependientes en Gipuzkoa, mostrando las mujeres un mayor impacto en su salud y CVRS que los hombres. Considerando la organización del cuidado en esta provincia, será necesario el diseño de acciones de mejora más adecuadas a las necesidades de las personas cuidadoras.

[Models for primary care and mental health collaboration in the care of people with depression: main results and methodological challenges of a systematic overview]. / Modelos de colaboración entre atención primaria y salud mental en la asistencia sanitaria a las personas con depresión: resultados principales y retos metodológicos de una meta-revisión sistemática.

BACKGROUND: Weaknesses in the collaboration between Primary Care (PC) and Mental Health (MH) are a relevant problem in the care of depressed patients. It is necessary to analyse and appraise the existing models of collaboration to assess their applicability to the Spanish Health System. The aim of this study is to know the main characteristics of the different models of collaboration between PC and MH in the care of patients with depression and the quality of their effectiveness evidence. METHODS: Systematic overview of secondary studies published from 2001 to 2010 in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, LILACS, IBECS, IME and The Cochrane Library. Assessment of reviews applying the AMSTAR tool. Approximative synthesis of the quality of evidences. RESULTS: A total of 69 studies were assessed. Quality of evidences is generally low or inconclusive due to the great variability among contexts and the methodological weaknesses. The most effective strategies integrate interventions for assigning responsibility for patient follow-up, redesigning management and communication/information sharing. Overviews of secondary studies on collaborative models facilitate access to published evidence, but entail important methodological challenges. CONCLUSION: The quality of evidences on effectiveness of PC-MH collaboration models in depression care is mainly low or inconclusive, and the more simplified are the analysis of components, processes and implementation conditions, the less meaningful and applicable they are.

[Views of patients diagnosed with depression and cared for by general practitioners and psychiatrists]. / Perspectivas de los pacientes diagnosticados de depresión y atendidos por médicos de familia y psiquiatras.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of patients treated for depression either by general practitioners (GPs) or psychiatrists (Ps) with the aim of identifying improvement strategies. DESIGN: Health services research-oriented qualitative methodology. Exploratory design. PARTICIPANTS AND CONTEXTS: A total of 31 patients diagnosed with depression receiving pharmacological treatment for at least one year, belonging to 20 Health Centres and 8 Mental Health Centres of the Basque Health Service-Osakidetza in Bizkaia, and grouped according to the type of professional (GPs/Ps) and socioeconomic level. METHOD: Information generation by means of 5 discussion groups and 2 in-depth interviews carried out in 2009 and 2010. Recording and transcription with previous confidentiality agreement and informed consent. Sociological discourse analysis. Technique triangulation and agreement among researchers. RESULTS: Patients' experiences of depression are associated with their social contexts and their previous experience outside and inside the health services. These components also appear in perceptions on quality of care, with different expectations related to GPs and Ps. Deficiencies in time and psychotherapy are mentioned in general. Collaboration between both professionals does not spontaneously emerge as a patient priority. CONCLUSIONS: Patient assessments provide dimensions of individual and contextual components in the diagnosis and treatment of depression. These dimensions should be taken into account in the identification of needs and the design of strategies shared by GPs and Psychiatrists to improve care.

[Family doctors and psychiatrists and the patient with depression: the need to re-adjust health care approaches and organisational dynamics]. / Médicos de familia y psiquiatras ante el paciente con depresión: la necesidad de readecuar enfoques asistenciales y dinámicas organizativas.

OBJECTIVES: To find out the perceptions of family doctors (FD) and psychiatrists (PS) on their inter-relationships in the health care of patients with depression. DESIGN: Qualitative methodology. Exploratory design based on FD and PS discussion groups (DG). SETTING: Primary health care centres (PHCC) and mental health centres (MHC) of the Basque Country Health Service in Vizcaya. PARTICIPANTS AND CONTEXT: A total of 29 FD from 20 PHCC, and 13 PS from 11 MHC, distributed according to the socioeconomic level of the reference population. The meetings were arranged and held in the PC research unit. METHODS: An intentional sample to configure 4 DG of FD and 2 of PS, homogenous as regards socioeconomic level, and heterogeneous as regards the centres they came from, work experience and gender. The meetings were recorded and transcribed and a sociological discourse analysis was made. Triangulation between researchers and results comparison with the participants was carried out. RESULTS: The perceptions and attitudes of the FD and PS differed, in their connections with the patient, expectations and health care context. In both cases they perceived the unsuitability of the real patient as regards the prefixed perceptions of the professional. The increase of the problem and its management seemed to be conditioned by a social medium which was uncontrolled, and due to increasing deficiencies in the collaboration between health care levels. CONCLUSIONS: Care of the patient with depression requires diagnostic and treatment approaches centred on the patient and shared by FD and PS.