Moving forward after the COVID-19 pandemic: Lessons learned in primary care from the multi-country PRICOV-19 study

The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the indispensable role of primary care. <b>Objectives:</b> Recognising this, the PRICOV-19 study investigated how 5,489 GP practices across 38 countries (Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kosovo*, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom) adapted their care delivery during the pandemic. Based on a series of discussions on the results of the PRICOV-19 study group, eight recommendations to enhance primary care’s preparedness for future crises were formulated and endorsed by EQuiP and WONCA Europe. The recommendations underscore the importance of recognising and sustaining the substantial strides made in patient safety within GP practices during the pandemic in current daily practices; acknowledging and supporting the pivotal role of GP practices in addressing health inequalities during crises; adopting interprofessional care models to enhance practices’ resilience and adaptability to change; supporting training practices; creating healthy working environments; investing in infrastructure that supports adequate and safe care; and increasing funding for research on patient safety and primary care quality to inform evidence-based health policies and fostering international knowledge exchange among healthcare professionals and policymakers. Policymakers, primary care associations, and the broader healthcare system are urged to collaboratively take responsibility and increase support for GP practices to enhance their resilience, adaptability, and capacity to deliver safe and equitable healthcare during future crises. Governments should recognise the critical role of family medicine in addressing inequity and prioritise carers’ wellbeing to maintain quality care during crises. Associations for practitioners should lead in crisis management developments and advocate for primary care. PC facilities should participate in health system design to answer challenges posed by crises.

新冠疫情（COVID-19 pandemic）凸显了基层医疗（primary care）不可或缺的重要作用。<b>研究目标：</b>鉴于此，PRICOV-19研究针对38个国家的5489家全科医师（General Practitioner, GP）诊所，调研了其在疫情期间调整诊疗服务的具体情况，这38个国家分别为：奥地利、比利时、波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那、保加利亚、克罗地亚、塞浦路斯、捷克共和国、丹麦、爱沙尼亚、芬兰、法国、德国、希腊、匈牙利、冰岛、爱尔兰、以色列、意大利、科索沃*、拉脱维亚、立陶宛、卢森堡、马耳他、摩尔多瓦共和国、荷兰、北马其顿、挪威、波兰、葡萄牙、罗马尼亚、塞尔维亚、斯洛文尼亚、西班牙、瑞典、瑞士、土耳其、乌克兰以及英国。基于PRICOV-19研究小组就研究结果开展的多轮研讨，制定了八项旨在提升基层医疗应对未来危机备灾能力的建议，并获得了EQuiP与世界家庭医生组织欧洲分部（WONCA Europe）的认可与支持。这些建议强调：在当前日常诊疗工作中，应当认可并延续全科医师诊所在疫情期间于患者安全领域取得的显著进展；认可并支持全科医师诊所在危机期间应对健康不平等问题的核心作用；采用跨专业诊疗模式，以提升诊所的韧性与变革适应性；支持诊疗培训相关工作；打造健康的工作环境；投入资金建设能够提供充足且安全医疗服务的基础设施；增加针对患者安全与基层医疗质量的研究经费，为循证卫生政策制定提供依据，并推动医疗专业人员与政策制定者之间的国际知识交流。敦促政策制定者、基层医疗协会以及更广泛的医疗系统共同承担责任，加大对全科医师诊所的支持力度，以提升其在未来危机期间提供安全且公平医疗服务的韧性、适应性与服务能力。各国政府应当认识到家庭医学在解决医疗不公平问题中的关键作用，并优先保障医护人员的福祉，以在危机期间维持高质量的医疗服务。医师协会应当主导危机管理的相关发展工作，并为基层医疗发声。基层医疗设施应当参与卫生系统的设计，以应对危机带来的各类挑战。