The European journal of general practice
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Observational Study
Effects of access to radiology in out-of-hours primary care on patient satisfaction and length of stay.
Direct access to hospital radiology facilities by general practitioner (GP) cooperatives is known to decrease the number of emergency department referrals, but the effects on length of stay (LOS; time from patient arrival at GP cooperative till departure to home) and patient experiences are unclear. ⋯ Access to radiology by GP cooperatives seems to reduce the length of stay and is slightly more appreciated by patients. GP cooperatives with unlimited access seem to provide the most efficient and best-valued care, contributing to more patient-centred care.
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After the 'first wave' in spring 2020, opinions regarding the threat and measures against COVID-19 seemed to vary among German general practitioners (GPs). ⋯ Among the participants in this survey, opinions regarding the threat and the measures taken against COVID-19 during the 'first wave' in Germany in spring 2020 varied greatly.
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Given the pressure on modern healthcare systems, eHealth can offer valuable opportunities. However, understanding the potential and challenges of eHealth in daily practice can be challenging for many general practitioners (GPs) and their staff. ⋯ eHealth applications can support patients while increasing efficiency for GPs. A three-way division (inform, monitor, track; interaction; data utilisation) characterises many eHealth applications, with an increasing degree of complexity depending on the domain. All applications provide information and some have extra functionalities that promote interaction, while data analysis and artificial intelligence may be applied to support or (fully) automate care processes. Applications in the inform domain are relatively easy to use and implement but their impact on clinical outcomes may be limited. More demanding applications, in terms of privacy and ethical aspects, are found in the data utilisation domain and may potentially have a more significant impact on care processes and patient outcomes. When selecting and implementing eHealth applications, we recommend that GPs remain critical regarding preconditions on safe, evidence-based and high-quality eHealth, particularly in the case of more complex applications in the data utilisation domain.
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Despite the accumulated evidence suggesting the positive aspects of using group visits in obesity, the number of qualitative studies that examine why and how the effects occur at an individual level is limited. ⋯ Considering the barriers to weight loss efforts in this study, these issues need to be explicitly investigated before and during the group visits in addition to weight loss practices and behavioural changes.