SynthesisThe British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners2022
GP wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review.
Synthesis in The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 57 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 107 citations in OpenAlex.
- General practice workforce retention strategies: an umbrella review.BMC primary care · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic review of the relationship between burn-out and spiritual health in doctors.BMJ open · 2023Pooled it
- Effectiveness of system navigation programs linking primary care with community-based health and social services: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2023Pooled it
- Experiences of treatment-resistant mental health conditions in primary care: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMC primary care · 2022Pooled it
- Trial
- Evaluating the implementation of inclisiran in primary care: process evaluation interim findings from interviews with key stakeholders.BMJ open · 2025Trial
- 'Don't work more than 3 days straight': Working conditions as learning conditions in general practice.Clinical medicine (London, England) · 2026Article
- Teamwork and relational infrastructure: a qualitative study of modern UK general practice.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Article
- Strengthening integration of pathways into general practice in Australia: a virtual workshop study with stakeholders.BJGP open · 2026Article
- Understanding persistent GP turnover using work and personal characteristics: a retrospective observational study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2026Observational
- Organisational, hygiene- and team-related changes in German general practices during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a participatory cross-sectional survey among medical assistants (WiSBAH study).BMC public health · 2026Article
- Implementing a Group Psychoeducational Program for Emotional Well-Being in Primary Care Teams: A Qualitative Study in Catalonia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Physicians shortage in primary care: a protocol for updating a systematic review of recruitment and retention strategies.F1000Research · 2026Article
- Article
- Article
- General practice specialty decision making: a system-level Australian qualitative study.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Fit2Perform: European society of thoracic surgery survey on member well-being.Interdisciplinary cardiovascular and thoracic surgery · 2025Article
- Article
- 'Forging healthy communities': a service evaluation of a 12-week community-based exercise, nutrition, behaviour change and peer-support programme.BMC public health · 2025Article
- General Practitioners' Mental Well-Being During Crises: Results of the PRICOV-19 Study Pilot in Serbia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDoctors' organisations in the UK have reported worrying levels of work-related stress and burnout in the GP workforce for some time, and the COVID-19 pandemic has presented clear new challenges.
aimTo synthesise international evidence exploring the impact of COVID-19 on primary care doctors' mental health and wellbeing, and identify risk factors associated with their psychological wellbeing during this time. DESIGN AND
settingMixed-methods systematic review.
methodSix bibliographic databases, Google Scholar, and
resultsThirty-one studies were included. Multiple sources of stress were identified including changed working practices; risk, exposure, and inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE); information overload; pandemic preparedness; and cohesion across sectors. Studies demonstrated an impact on psychological wellbeing, with some GPs experiencing stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, fear of COVID-19, lower job satisfaction, and physical symptoms. Studies reported gender and age differences: women GPs had poorer psychological outcomes across all domains, and older GPs reported greater stress and burnout. Use of outcome measures and reporting practice varied greatly.
conclusionThis review of international evidence demonstrates that the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected GPs' wellbeing around the world. Further research could explore gender and age differences, identifying interventions targeted to these groups.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.