Primary care responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic, one that has since spread across the globe. As of May 2021, COVID-19 has infected over 171 million people, resulting in more than 3.5 million deaths, while pressing hospital and ICU capacities to precarious acuity levels. Yet the international crisis also revealed a disproportionate impact on primary care, leading to severe declines in clinical volumes and revenues, plus interruption in effective preventive care services and chronic disease management. Equally important, we are learning of numerous potential long-term clinical impacts and distressing ongoing chronic health issues stemming from respiratory illness, psychological problems or cognitive deficits and unexplained lingering symptoms (1 –3). Primary care training has likely suffered due to early restrictions on personal protective equipment, quarantine of health care workers and reduced morale amongst practicing physicians and nurses (4 –6). Rapid adoption of telehealth, and outreach to existing patient populations has created a demand for new methods of care delivery (7) and reimbursement, while concurrently raising a multitude of questions about effectiveness and financial stability (8).
Source: Family Practice - Category: Primary Care Source Type: research