gms | German Medical Science

20. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung

Deutsches Netzwerk Versorgungsforschung e. V.

06. - 08.10.2021, digital

Experiences of outpatient healthcare professionals during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Saxony-Anhalt: a qualitative study

Meeting Abstract

  • Madlen Hörold - Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany
  • Marc Gottschalk - Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
  • Heike Heytens - Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany
  • Carla Maria Debbeler - Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany
  • Saskia Ehrentreich - Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany
  • Rüdiger Braun-Dullaeus - Department of Cardiology and Angiology, University Hospital Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
  • Christian Apfelbacher - Institute of Social Medicine and Health Systems Research, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany

20. Deutscher Kongress für Versorgungsforschung (DKVF). sine loco [digital], 06.-08.10.2021. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2021. Doc21dkvf187

doi: 10.3205/21dkvf187, urn:nbn:de:0183-21dkvf1879

Published: September 27, 2021

© 2021 Hörold et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. See license information at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.


Outline

Text

Background: Healthcare professionals in outpatient care had to adapt rapidly to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Germany, the vast majority of COVID-19 patients has received care in an outpatient setting. Previous studies mainly based on quantitative surveys and focused on organizational, economic and personal challenges of the pandemic. There is a lack of qualitative research, especially on the experiences of healthcare professionals in outpatient care in low-population regions in Germany. This qualitative study is part of the EU-EFRE project “KARdiologische LandAssistenz”, a project in the research cluster “autonomy in old age”.

Research question and objective: The primary research interest of our study was to explore the provision of medical services and need for care of people with chronic heart diseases in Saxony-Anhalt. Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, we have broadened the research question. We focused on how healthcare professionals experienced day-to-day work in the COVID-19 pandemic, their perception of access to and utilization of health care, how they managed pandemic related information and what health effects they observed in their patients.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative interview study with a sample of family physicians, outpatient cardiologists, and non-physician assistants. We recruited by e-mail, telephone, professional networks and personal contact via snowball sampling. Data was collected by semi-structured qualitative interviews between August 2020 to January 2021. We analyzed the data using qualitative content analysis [1].

Results: Our sample consisted of 28 healthcare professionals (15 family physicians, 7 cardiologists, and 6 non-physician assistants; 12/28 female) from Saxony-Anhalt. Content analysis resulted in 16 inductive sub-themes within the four deductive themes: Changes in daily work, access to and utilization of healthcare, information management and health impacts.

Discussion: The results showed that outpatient healthcare professionals faced various challenges regardless of the COVID-19 incidence. Uncertainty and burden were central components in their experiences. Healthcare professionals had to deal with their own uncertainties and burdens, while also facing the worries and fears of their patients. They focused on establishing workflows in the pandemic that work best for practice management and for patients.

Practical implications: In the current COVID-19 pandemic and in future crises, health policy should create conditions for care, that provide clear regulations across regional boundaries, thus reducing uncertainty among healthcare providers.

Appeal for practice (science and/or care) in one sentence: Measures for support of outpatient healthcare providers should be offered in crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.


References

1.
Mayring P. Qualitative Content Analysis: Demarcation, Varieties, Developments. Forum: Qualitative Social Research. 2019;20(3). [Retrieved January 08, 2021]. Available from: https://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/3343/4558 External link