Effect of Longitudinal Care in Primary Health Care: An Analysis From the Patient's Perspective

N/ACompletedNCT07320053

IBS Granada26 enrolled

Overview

Objective To explore and describe the opinions of Primary Health Care chronically ill users regarding being cared for over time by the same reference professional. To analyze the consequences of workforce instability and the lack of continuity in medical staffing in Primary Health Care centers in Granada. Design Descriptive observational cross-sectional study using a qualitative methodology. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with users of Primary Health Care centers in Granada. Setting Primary Health Care in Granada and surrounding rural areas. Participants Primary Health Care users who attend their Health Centers or Clinics several times a year and have recently experienced a period without a regular family doctor. Data Collection Tool In-depth interview. Analysis Qualitative analysis from a phenomenological-ethnographic paradigm.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

Conditions

Age 65 and Older Polypharmacy Cronic Lung Disease Mental Disorder

Eligibility

Sex: ALL

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Belonging to a physician's patient list that has lacked a regular family doctor for at least 3 of the past 6 months. * The same list must have been cared for by a single family physician for at least 2 consecutive years in the last 10 years. * Age 75 or older. * Presence of a chronic condition requiring medical care at least twice a year (e.g., diabetes, chronic non-cancer pain, heart failure, COPD, mental disorders). * Use of six or more medications. * Socioeconomic and social vulnerability. * Dependence and presence of informal caregivers. Exclusion criteria: • Being under 18 years old.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Transversal qualitative exploration

Individual semi-structured interviews will be conducted. This format allows for flexibility to accommodate participants' needs and preferences regarding the time and location of the interview (for example, in the participant's own home). The interview will begin with an open-ended starter question: "What does it mean to you to always be cared for by the same family doctor?" Based on the potential themes that may emerge from participants' narratives, a set of research questions has been developed and translated into interview prompts to guide the interviewer. These include: Have you noticed any difference in how your health problems are managed when you already know the doctor attending you? Do you think the relationship established with your doctor affects the quality of care you receive? Do you experience any barriers in healthcare when you don't have a regular family doctor? Have you ever withheld a health concern because you didn't know the professional attending you?

Time frame: Each patient will be interviewed once, after the loss of their long-term assigned primary care physician. Only baseline information will be collected over a period of less than one year, throughout 2024, until study completion.