Barriers and facilitators for family physicians prescribing opioid agonist therapy in Saskatchewan.

OBJECTIVE: To explore barriers and facilitators for family physicians in Saskatchewan prescribing opioid agonist therapy (OAT). DESIGN: Self-administered postal survey. SETTING: Family medicine practices in Saskatchewan. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 218 Saskatchewan family physicians who were not authorized to prescribe OAT as of June 2022. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Descriptive and inferential statistics of physicians' self-reported barriers to and facilitators of prescribing OAT for opioid use disorder (OUD). RESULTS: Most respondents (84.8%) had some comfort with diagnosing OUD. However, more than half (58.3%) did not feel confident or knowledgeable about prescribing OAT. Barriers to OAT prescribing included lack of time, incomplete training requirements, lack of interest, insufficient funding or support, feeling overwhelmed, and perceiving that OAT does not work and thus is not necessary. Physicians working in core neighbourhoods and those receiving fee-for-service compensation reported the least available time to prescribe OAT. Conversely, physicians working in interdisciplinary team settings had increased time for OAT prescribing compared with physicians in other settings. Having a close personal relationship with someone with OUD was correlated with increased comfort in diagnosing OUD as well as with knowledge about and confidence in prescribing OAT. Themes identified as facilitators to increasing OAT prescribing included the addition of resources and supports, increased training, more awareness about OUD and OAT, enhanced compensation, and altered prescribing regulations. CONCLUSION: Despite the presence of several real and perceived barriers limiting OAT prescribing by Saskatchewan family physicians, there are family physicians interested in providing this therapy. Increased clinical resources and support, including increased interdisciplinary practice, are actionable steps that should be considered by policy decision makers to address this issue. Additionally, increased OUD and OAT education, which includes the perspectives of those with lived experience of OUD, would help address physician confidence, knowledge, and awareness in this area.

Can family doctor system improve health service utilization for patients with hypertension and diabetes in China? A difference-in-differences study.

BACKGROUND: Family doctors, serving as gatekeepers, are the core of primary health care to meet basic health needs, provide accessible care, and improve attainable health. The study objective was to evaluate the impact of the family doctor system on health service utilization among patients with hypertension and diabetes in China. METHODS: Difference-in-Differences (DID) models are constructed to estimate the net effect of the family doctor system, based on the official health management records and medical insurance claim data of patients with hypertension and diabetes in an eastern city of China. RESULTS: The family doctor system significantly increases follow-up visits (hypertension patients coef. = 0.13, diabetes patients coef. = 0.08, both p < 0.001) and outpatient visits (hypertension patients coef. = 0.08, diabetes patients coef. = 0.05, both p < 0.001) among the contracted compared to the non-contracted. The proportion of outpatient visits in community health centers among the contracted significantly rose (hypertension patients coef. = 0.02, diabetes patients coef. = 0.04, both p < 0.001) due to significantly more outpatient visits in community health centers and fewer in secondary and tertiary hospitals. It also significantly mitigates the increase in inpatient admissions among hypertension patients but not among diabetes patients. CONCLUSIONS: The examined family doctor system strengthens primary care, both by increasing follow-up visits and outpatient visits and promoting a rationalized structure of outpatient utilization in China.

The views of family physicians on National Health Insurance in Gauteng Province, South Africa.

BACKGROUND:  Universal health coverage (UHC) improves national health outcomes while addressing social inequalities in access to quality healthcare services. The district health system (DHS) is critical to the success of UHC in South Africa through the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme. Family physicians (FPs), as champions of primary care, are central to the DHS operation and implementation of NHI. METHODS:  This was a qualitative exploratory study that used semi-structured interviews to explore FPs views and engagement on NHI policy and implementation in their districts. Ten FPs were included through purposive sampling. RESULTS:  Most of the FPs interviewed were not engaged in either policy formulation or strategic planning. The NHI bill was seen as a theoretical ideology that lacked any clear plan. Family physicians expressed several concerns around corruption in governmental structures that could play out in NHI implementation. Family physicians felt unsupported within their district structures and disempowered to engage in rollout strategies. The FPs were able to provide useful solutions to health system challenges because of the design of their training programmes, as well as their experience at the primary care level. CONCLUSION:  Healthcare governance in South Africa remains located in national and provincial structures. Devolution of governance to the DHS is required if NHI implementation is to succeed. The FPs need to be engaged in NHI strategies, to translate plans into actionable objectives at the primary care level.Contribution: This study highlights the need to involve FPs as key actors in implementing NHI strategies at a decentralised DHS governance level.

Characteristics of primary care practices by proportion of patients unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2: a cross-sectional cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Variations in primary care practices may explain some differences in health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to evaluate the characteristics of primary care practices by the proportion of patients unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: We conducted a population-based, cross-sectional cohort study using linked administrative data sets in Ontario, Canada. We calculated the percentage of patients unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 enrolled with each comprehensive-care family physician, ranked physicians according to the proportion of patients unvaccinated, and identified physicians in the top 10% (v. the other 90%). We compared characteristics of family physicians and their patients in these 2 groups using standardized differences. RESULTS: We analyzed 9060 family physicians with 10 837 909 enrolled patients. Family physicians with the largest proportion (top 10%) of unvaccinated patients (n = 906) were more likely to be male, to have trained outside of Canada, to be older, and to work in an enhanced fee-for-service model than those in the remaining 90%. Vaccine coverage (≥ 2 doses of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine) was 74% among patients of physicians with the largest proportion of unvaccinated patients, compared with 87% in the remaining patient population. Patients in the top 10% group tended to be younger and live in areas with higher levels of ethnic diversity and immigration and lower incomes. INTERPRETATION: Primary care practices with the largest proportion of patients unvaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 served marginalized communities and were less likely to use team-based care models. These findings can guide resource planning and help tailor interventions to integrate public health priorities within primary care practices.

Control de diabetes y consultas al médico de familia durante la pandemia de COVID-19: estudio multicéntrico en atención primaria / Diabetes control and visits to the family doctor during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multicenter study in primary care

Objetivos: Determinar los cambios de frecuentación de consultas presenciales (CP) y telemáticas (CT) a su médico de familia en pacientes con diabetes tipo 2 (DM2) durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y su relación con el control de su enfermedad. Diseño: Estudio multicéntrico de seguimiento retrospectivo. Emplazamiento: Siete centros de salud en Tenerife, España. Participantes: Un total de 3.543 pacientes con DM2. Mediciones: Sexo, edad, CP, CT y control de DM2 mediante hemoglobina glicosilada (A1c) durante el periodo 2019-2021. Se ajustaron modelos de regresión logística con el control de DM2 como efecto, y con las demás mediciones como variables independientes. Resultados: El 50% eran mujeres. El 38% tenía 65 años o menos. Se midió la A1c al 84% de los pacientes en 2019, 68% en 2020, y 77% en 2021. Presentaron buen control el 58,4% en 2019, 46,1% en 2020 y 50,3% en 2021. Las CP fueron 7 en 2019, 4 en 2020 y 5 en 2021 (p<0,001). Las razones de ventaja (IC95%) de buen control en 2019 fueron 1,04 (1,04-1,05) por cada año más de edad y 1,03 (1,01-1,04) por cada CP más; en 2020 fueron 1,04 (1,03-1,05) por cada año más de edad, 1,05 (1,04-1,07) por cada CP más y 1,04 (1,02-1,07) por cada CT más; en 2021 fueron 1,04 (1,04-1,05) por cada año más de edad, 1,05 (1,03-1,06) por cada CP más y 1,02 (1,00-1,04) por cada CT más. Conclusiones: El control de pacientes con DM2 durante 2019-2021 tuvo una relación directa con el cambio de frecuentación al centro de salud, con diferencias según el tipo de consulta y la edad.(AU)

Objectives: To determine whether in patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) the changes in their relationship with family doctors during the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person (iPC) and telematic (TC) consultations, were associated with control of their disease. Design: Multicentric study of retrospective follow-up. Setting: Seven health centers in Tenerife, Spain. Participants: 3543 patients with DM2. Main measurements: Sex, age, iPC, TC and DM2 control using glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c) during the period 2019-2021. Logistic regression models were fitted with DM2 control as an effect, and with the other measurements as independent variables. Results: 50% were women. 38% were less than 65 years old. A1c was measured in 84% of patients in 2019, 68% in 2020, and 77% in 2021. 58.4% had good control in 2019, 46.1% in 2020, and 50.3% in 2021. Median iPC were 7 in 2019, 4 in 2020 and 5 in 2021 (p<0.001). The OR(95%CI) of good control in 2019 were 1.04(1.04-1.05) per year of age and 1.03(1.01-1.04) for each iPC; In 2020 they were 1.04 (1.03-1.05) per year of age, 1.05 (1.04-1.07) for each iPC and 1.04 (1.02-1.07) for each TC; in 2021 they were 1.04 (1.04-1.05) per year of age, 1.05 (1.03-1.06) for each iPC and 1.02 (1.00-1.04) for each TC. Conclusions: The control of patients with DM2 during the period 2019-2021 had a direct relationship with the change in the frequency of consultations at the health center, with differences depending on the type of consultation and the age of the patient.(AU)

Factors that influence scope-of-practice decisions of early-career family physicians: Focus group study in Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To explore perceptions of early-career family physicians on the personal, educational, organizational, community, and system factors that had influenced their scope-of-practice decisions and to compare the similarities and differences among these factors across all 13 Canadian jurisdictions. DESIGN: Qualitative descriptive study. SETTING: Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-nine early-career family physicians who were 2 to 5 years into independent practice. METHODS: Data were collected using focus groups and were analyzed using deductive and inductive analysis techniques to identify patterns in the data within and across jurisdictions. MAIN FINDINGS: Participants across all jurisdictions highlighted that personal factors (ie, interest, work-life balance and family life, financial considerations, and self-perceived competence and confidence) were most influential on scope-of-practice decisions. Educational (ie, exposure during training, mentorship), organizational (ie, collegial support), community (ie, needs), and system (ie, payment models, funding for team-based care, governance) factors also influenced decisions about scope of practice. Experiences were similar across all jurisdictions for personal factors. Differences in experiences were reported across jurisdictions for educational, organizational, community, and system factors. CONCLUSION: Decisions about scope of practice by early-career family physicians are highly influenced by personal factors followed by organizational, educational, community, and system factors. These findings suggest numerous strategies are needed to increase individuals' interest in providing comprehensive care in Canada. Educators should cultivate interest in comprehensive care among learners, strategically recruit trainees, provide targeted exposure and experiences, ensure competence and confidence are evaluated throughout and at the end of training, and introduce formal mentorship programs. Policy-makers should invest in the spread of effective team models and alternative payment models. Together, these strategies could broaden the scopes of practice of family physicians and their capacity to deliver accessible and comprehensive care to Canadians.

Factors associated with plans for early retirement among Ontario family physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Higher numbers of family physicians (FPs) stopped practicing or retired during the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening the family doctor shortage in Canada. Our study objective was to determine which factors were associated with FPs' plans to retire earlier during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We administered two cross-sectional online surveys to Ontario FPs asking whether they were "planning to retire earlier" as a result of the pandemic during the first and third COVID-19 pandemic waves (Apr-Jun 2020 and Mar-Jul 2021). We used logistic regression to determine which factors were associated with early retirement planning, adjusting for age. RESULTS: The age-adjusted proportion of FP respondents planning to retire earlier was 8.2% (of 393) in the first-wave and 20.5% (of 454) in the third-wave. Planning for earlier retirement during the third-wave was associated with age over 50 years (50-59 years odds ratio (OR) 5.37 (95% confidence interval (CI):2.33-12.31), 60 years and above OR 4.18 (95% CI: 1.90-10.23)), having difficulty handling increased non-clinical responsibilities (OR 2.95 (95% CI: 1.79-4.94)), feeling unsupported to work virtually (OR 1.96 (95% CI: 1.19-3.23)) or in-person (OR 2.70 (95% CI: 1.67-4.55)), feeling unable to provide good care (OR 1.82 (95% CI: 1.10-3.03)), feeling work was not valued (OR 1.92 (95% CI: 1.15-3.23)), feeling frightened of dealing with COVID-19 (OR 2.01 (95% CI: 1.19-3.38)), caring for an elderly relative (OR 2.36 (95% CI: 1.69-3.97)), having difficulty obtaining personal protective equipment (OR 2.00 (95% CI: 1.16-3.43)) or difficulty implementing infection control practices in clinic (OR 2.10 (95% CI: 1.12-3.89)). CONCLUSIONS: Over 20% of Ontario FP respondents were considering retiring earlier by the third-wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supporting FPs in their clinical and non-clinical roles, such that they feel able to provide good care and that their work is valued, reducing non-clinical (e.g., administrative) responsibilities, dealing with pandemic-related fears, and supporting infection control practices and personal protective equipment acquisition in clinic, particularly in those aged 50 years or older may help increase family physician retention during future pandemics.

Approaches to locum physician recruitment and retention: a systematic review.

A robust workforce of locum tenens (LT) physicians is imperative for health service stability. A systematic review was conducted to synthesize current evidence on the strategies used to facilitate the recruitment and retention of LT physicians. English articles up to October 2023 across five databases were sourced. Original studies focusing on recruitment and retention of LT's were included. An inductive content analysis was performed to identify strategies used to facilitate LT recruitment and retention. A separate grey literature review was conducted from June-July 2023. 12 studies were retained. Over half (58%) of studies were conducted in North America. Main strategies for facilitating LT recruitment and retention included financial incentives (83%), education and career factors (67%), personal facilitators (67%), clinical support and mentorship (33%), and familial considerations (25%). Identified subthemes were desire for flexible contracts (58%), increased income (33%), practice scouting (33%), and transitional employment needs (33%). Most (67%) studies reported deterrents to locum work, with professional isolation (42%) as the primary deterrent-related subtheme. Grey literature suggested national physician licensure could enhance license portability, thereby increasing the mobility of physicians across regions. Organizations employ five main LT recruitment facilitators and operationalize these in a variety of ways. Though these may be incumbent on local resources, the effectiveness of these approaches has not been evaluated. Consequently, future research should assess LT the efficacy of recruitment and retention facilitators. Notably, the majority of identified LT deterrents may be mitigated by modifying contextual factors such as improved onboarding practices.

Thinking and Enacting the Patient Medical Home Under Pandemic Conditions: A Qualitative Study From Primary Care in Alberta, Canada.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 (C19) pandemic shocked primary care systems around the world. Those systems responded by supporting patients in the community, and acute care facilities in crisis. In Canada, the Patient Medical Home (PMH) is a widely adopted care model that aims to operationalize the tenets and principles of Primary Health Care (PHC) as developed since the Alma-Ata Declaration. This paper describes how personnel working in and with Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Alberta, Canada deployed the PMH model and its underlying PHC principles to frame and respond to the C19 shock. METHODS: Using purposive and snowball sampling techniques, we interviewed 57 participants who worked in public health and primary care, including community-based family physicians. We used interpretive description to analyze the interviews. RESULTS: PCN staff and physicians described how the PMH model was foundational to normal operations, and how C19 responses were framed by the patient-centric, team-delivered, and continuous care principles the model shares with PHC. Specifically, participants described ensuring access to care, addressing the social determinants of health, being patient centered, and redeploying and expanding PHC teams to accomplish these goals. DISCUSSION: Delivering PHC through the PMH allowed physicians and allied health staff to deliver patient-centered, team-based, holistic bio-medical services to Albertans. In tailoring services to meet the specific social and health needs of the populations served by each PCN, healthcare providers were able to ensure relevant support remained available and accessible.

Storylines of family medicine XI: professional identity formation-nurturing one's own story.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'XI: professional identity formation-nurturing one's own story', authors address the following themes: 'The social construction of professional identity', 'On becoming a family physician', 'What's on the test?-professionalism for family physicians', 'The ugly doc-ling', 'Teachers-the essence of who we are', 'Family medicine research-it starts in the clinic', 'Socially accountability in medical education', 'Personal philosophy and how to find it' and 'Teaching and learning with Storylines of Family Medicine'. May these essays encourage readers to find their own creative spark in medicine.

Storylines of family medicine VIII: clinical approaches.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'VIII: clinical approaches', authors address the following themes: 'Evaluation, diagnosis and management I-toward a working diagnosis', 'Evaluation, diagnosis and management II-process steps', 'Interweaving integrative medicine and family medicine', 'Halfway-the art of clinical judgment', 'Seamless integration in family medicine-team-based care', 'Technology-uncovering stories from noise' and 'Caring for patients with multiple long-term conditions'. May readers recognise in these essays the uniqueness of a family medicine approach to care.

Storylines of family medicine V: ways of thinking-honing the therapeutic self.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'V: ways of thinking-honing the therapeutic self', authors present the following sections: 'Reflective practice in action', 'The doctor as drug-Balint groups', 'Cultivating compassion', 'Towards a humanistic approach to doctoring', 'Intimacy in family medicine', 'The many faces of suffering', 'Transcending suffering' and 'The power of listening to stories.' May readers feel a deeper sense of their own therapeutic agency by reflecting on these essays.

Storylines of family medicine IV: perspectives on practice-lenses of appreciation.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'IV: perspectives on practice-lenses of appreciation', authors address the following themes: 'Relational connections in the doctor-patient partnership', 'Feminism and family medicine', 'Positive family medicine', 'Mindful practice', 'The new, old ethics of family medicine', 'Public health, prevention and populations', 'Information mastery in family medicine' and 'Clinical courage.' May readers nurture their curiosity through these essays.

Storylines of family medicine II: foundational building blocks-context, community and health.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'II: foundational building blocks-context, community and health', authors address the following themes: 'Context-grounding family medicine in time, place and being', 'Recentring community', 'Community-oriented primary care', 'Embeddedness in practice', 'The meaning of health', 'Disease, illness and sickness-core concepts', 'The biopsychosocial model', 'The biopsychosocial approach' and 'Family medicine as social medicine.' May readers grasp new implications for medical education and practice in these essays.

Storylines of family medicine VII: family medicine across the lifespan.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'VII: family medicine across the lifespan', authors address the following themes: 'Family medicine maternity care', 'Seeing children as patients brings joy to work', 'Family medicine and the care of adolescents', 'Reproductive healthcare across the lifespan', 'Men's health', 'Care of older adults', and 'Being with dying'. May readers appreciate the range of family medicine in these essays.

Storylines of family medicine III: core principles-primary care, systems and family.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'III: core principles-primary care, systems, and family', authors address the following themes: 'Continuity of care-building therapeutic relationships over time', 'Comprehensiveness-combining breadth and depth of scope', 'Coordination of care-managing multiple realities', 'Access to care-intersectional, systemic, and personal', 'Systems theory-a core value in patient-centered care', 'Family-oriented practice-supporting patients' health and well-being', 'Family physician as family member' and 'Family in the exam room'. May readers develop new understandings from these essays.

Storylines of family medicine I: framing family medicine - history, values and perspectives.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'I: framing family medicine-history, values, and perspectives', the authors address the following themes: 'Notes on Storylines of Family Medicine', 'Family medicine-the generalist specialty', 'Family medicine's achievements-a glass half full assessment', 'Family medicine's next 50 years-toward filling our glasses', 'Four enduring truths of family medicine', 'Names matter', 'Family medicine at its core' and 'The ecology of medical care.' May readers find much food for thought in these essays.

Storylines of family medicine X: standing up for diversity, equity and inclusion.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'X: standing up for diversity, equity and inclusion', authors address the following themes: 'The power of diversity-why inclusivity is essential to equity in healthcare', 'Medical education for whom?', 'Growing a diverse and inclusive workforce', 'Therapeutic judo-an inclusive approach to patient care', 'Global family medicine-seeing the world "upside down"', 'The inverse care law', 'Social determinants of health as a lens for care', 'Why family physicians should care about human rights' and 'Toward health equity-the opportunome'. May the essays that follow inspire readers to promote change.

Storylines of family medicine VI: ways of being-in the office with patients.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'VI: ways of being-in the office with patients', authors address the following themes: 'Patient-centred care-cultivating deep listening skills', 'Doctor as witness', 'Words matter', 'Understanding others-metaphor and its use in medicine', 'Communicating with patients-making good use of time', 'The patient-centred medical home-aspirations for the future', 'Routine, ceremony or drama?' and 'The life course'. May readers better appreciate the nuances of patient care through these essays.

Storylines of family medicine XII: family medicine and the healthcare system.

Storylines of Family Medicine is a 12-part series of thematically linked mini-essays with accompanying illustrations that explore the many dimensions of family medicine, as interpreted by individual family physicians and medical educators in the USA and elsewhere around the world. In 'XII: Family medicine and the future of the healthcare system', authors address the following themes: 'Leadership in family medicine', 'Becoming an academic family physician', 'Advocare-our call to act', 'The paradox of primary care and three simple rules', 'The quadruple aim-melding the patient and the health system', 'Fit-for-purpose medical workforce', 'Universal healthcare-coverage for all', 'The futures of family medicine' and 'The 100th essay.' May readers of these essays feel empowered to be part of family medicine's exciting future.