Lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic for future primary care: a qualitative interview study with GPs and medical practice assistants in Germany.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated significant adaptations for general practices, affecting healthcare services and workload. The mixed-methods study VeCo-Praxis was designed to investigate these changes, focusing on non-COVID-related services in three German regions. This article is based on a qualitative interview study with general practitioners (GPs) and medical practice assistants (MPAs). To explore the perspectives of GPs and MPAs regarding their work and role during the pandemic and what conclusions they draw for primary care in the aftermath of the pandemic. A qualitative study with 15 GPs and 15 MPAs from three federal German states (August 2022-September 2023). We conducted semi-structured telephone interviews and performed thematic analysis described by Braun and Clarke. In this article, we focus on three key aspects: 1) the evolving role of GPs and MPAs as central healthcare coordinators; 2) frustrations stemming from inadequate collaboration with specialists, health authorities, and hospitals; and 3) conclusions and outlook for the aftermath of the pandemic. GPs reported an increased sense of responsibility but also greater exhaustion, while MPAs felt undervalued, particularly in comparison to hospital nurses. While telemedicine was helpful, both groups criticised the administrative workload, the lack of timely communication from authorities, and the lack of support with pandemic-related tasks to ensure general patient care. Following the pandemic it is understood that GPs and MPAs must be adequately supported in their roles, interdisciplinary collaboration must be improved, and information flows and administrative processes must be more efficient to assure better pandemic preparedness in primary care.