Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34545396›Full record

ArticleFamily practice2021

Has COVID-19 changed the workload for primary care physicians? The case of Spain.

Carmen Fernández-Aguilar, Luis-Alberto Casado-Aranda, Miquel Farrés Fernández, Sergio Minué Lorenzo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Family practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Carmen Fernández-AguilarApplied Economics, University of Isabel I, Fernán González, 76, 09003, Burgos, Spain.ORCID 0000-0001-8093-4492
Luis-Alberto Casado-ArandaMarketing and Market Research Department, University of Granada, Paseo de Cartuja, 7, 18011, Granada, Spain.
Miquel Farrés FernándezAlbayzín Health Centre, Plaza Cementerio de San Nicolás, Granada, Spain.
Sergio Minué LorenzoAndalusian School of Public Health, Cuesta del Observatorio, Granada, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has led to a massive over-exertion of doctors, multiplying their work intensity, overload and stress. Yet no studies have been conducted on the changes in primary care physician overload during the pandemic.

objectiveTo address this research gap, the aim of this article is to document the subjective dimensions of physicians' work during the peak of the pandemic for comparison with a pre-COVID-19 situation. In addition, the relationship between workload and the individual characteristics of the physician or the percentage of tele-assistance is examined.

methodsThis study performs a subjective measurement procedure for the analysis of work overload through the NASA-TLX questionnaire, with a total of 102 records from 16 doctors from a Primary Health Centers of the Granada-Metropolitan Health district (Andalusia, Spain).

resultsThe results reflect a significantly higher workload during COVID-19 in relation to a previous situation (66.1% versus 48.6% before COVID-19). All the dimensions of the NASA-TLX test suffered an increase during the COVID-19, this increase being higher in the physical, temporal and frustration levels. Interestingly, the findings reflect the higher the percentage of telematic consultations, the lower workload.

conclusionsWork overload and the emotional state of health workers is one of the many repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The results derived from this study may be useful in formulating policies and practices related to the workforce development, funding streams to prepare for the next wave of COVID-19 infections as well as for future public health emergencies.

Indexed as

COVID-19Physicians, Primary CareHumansPandemicsSARS-CoV-2SpainWorkloadCOVID-19health careNasa-TLXpandemic managementprimary care physiciansworkload

Identifiers

PMID34545396
PMCPMC8499994

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.