ArticleThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2017
GP views on strategies to cope with increasing workload: a qualitative interview study.
Article in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
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- Experiences of treatment-resistant mental health conditions in primary care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMC primary care · 2022Pooled it
- What Are the Common Themes of Physician Resilience? A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Which patients miss appointments with general practice and the reasons why: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021Pooled it
- Barriers and enablers to detection and management of chronic kidney disease in primary healthcare: a systematic review.BMC nephrology · 2020Pooled it
- Ontario family physician perspectives on whether and how to charge patients for uninsured services: Qualitative study.Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien · 2026Article
- Contacts with Patients in Croatian Family Medicine Practices-What Has Changed from 2019 to 2025?Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Preferences of healthcare providers regarding future follow-up care for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer: A discrete choice experiment.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Barriers and enablers of TB infection screening and treatment programme for recent migrants in East London.Public health action · 2026Article
- No Band-Aids for papercuts: understanding and addressing challenges of administrative workload in primary care in Canada.Family practice · 2025Article
- Addressing systemic workforce challenges in general practice-a qualitative study of general practitioners in Ireland.Family practice · 2025Article
- Article
- Factors Influencing General Practitioners' Deprescribing Decisions for Older Adults, with Insights into Frailty: a Qualitative Study in Greek Primary Care.Drugs & aging · 2025Article
- Analysis of the kidney failure risk equation implementation in routine clinical practice and health inequalities in chronic kidney disease care: a retrospective cohort study.BMC nephrology · 2025Article
- The factors influencing self-management in patients with depression: a qualitative research from China.BMC psychiatry · 2025Article
- Consequences of the Pandemic on Mental Health of Healthcare Workers in the NHS.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Health services under pressure: a scoping review and development of a taxonomy of adaptive strategies.BMJ quality & safety · 2024Article
- GP workload and patient safety.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2024Article
- Comparing the number and length of primary care consultations in people with and without intellectual disabilities and health needs: observational cohort study using electronic health records.Family practice · 2024Observational
- Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe existence of a crisis in primary care in the UK is in little doubt. GP morale and job satisfaction are low, and workload is increasing. In this challenging context, finding ways for GPs to manage that workload is imperative.
aimTo explore what existing or potential strategies are described by GPs for dealing with their workload, and their views on the relative merits of each. DESIGN AND
settingSemi-structured, qualitative interviews with GPs working within NHS England.
methodAll GPs working within NHS England were eligible. Of those who responded to advertisements, a maximum-variation sample was selected and interviewed until data saturation was reached. Data were analysed thematically.
resultsResponses were received from 171 GPs, and, from these, 34 were included in the study. Four main themes emerged for workload management: patient-level, GP-level, practice-level, and systems-level strategies. A need for patients to take greater responsibility for self-management was clear, but many felt that GPs should not be responsible for this education. Increased delegation of tasks was felt to be key to managing workload, with innovative use of allied healthcare professionals and extended roles for non-clinical staff suggested. Telephone triage was a commonly used tool for managing workload, although not all participants found this helpful.
conclusionThis in-depth qualitative study demonstrates an encouraging resilience among GPs. They are proactively trying to manage workload, often using innovative local strategies. GPs do not feel that they can do this alone, however, and called repeatedly for increased recruitment and more investment in primary care.
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