ArticlePrimary health care research & development2022
Task shifting from general practitioners to practice assistants and nurses in primary care: a cross-sectional survey in 34 countries.
Article in Primary health care research & development, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Organisational models of general practice and internal capacity for care coordination: a mixed-methods study from the Czech Republic.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Changes in office-hours doctor and nurse consultations: six-year register-based follow-up cohort study in the public primary health care of City of Vantaa, Finland.International journal of circumpolar health · 2025Article
- Addressing systemic workforce challenges in general practice-a qualitative study of general practitioners in Ireland.Family practice · 2025Article
- Are nurse-led patient consultations acceptable for the general practitioners and practice nurses in Germany? Results from a cross-sectional survey in two federal states.Family medicine and community health · 2025Article
- The role of environmental impact in healthcare providers' choices of inhalers for treatment of asthma and COPD: a discrete choice experiment.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- Factors associated with resilience, spiritual and mental well-being of advanced practice nurses: Implications for role integration.International nursing review · 2025Article
- Navigating diabetes care inequities: an observational study linking chronic care model's structural elements to process and outcomes of type 2 diabetes care in Belgium.International journal for equity in health · 2025Observational
- Did the organization of primary care practices during the COVID-19 pandemic influence quality and safety? - an international survey.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Exploring the impact of pharmacist-supported medication reviews in dementia care: experiences of general practitioners and nurses.BMC geriatrics · 2024Article
- Managing mental health in chronic care in general practice: a feasibility study of the Healthy Mind intervention.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2024Article
- Has the COVID-19 Pandemic Led to Changes in the Tasks of the Primary Care Workforce? An International Survey among General Practices in 38 Countries (PRICOV-19).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo describe variation in task shifting from GPs to practice assistants/nurses in 34 countries and to explain differences by analysing associations with characteristics of the GPs and their practices and features of the health care systems.
backgroundRedistribution of tasks and responsibilities in primary care are driven by changes in demand, such as the growing number of patients with chronic conditions, and workforce developments, including staff shortage. The need to manage an expanding range of services has led to adaptations in the skill-mix of primary care teams. These developments are hampered by barriers between professional domains.
methodsData were collected between 2011 and 2013 through a cross-sectional survey among approximately 7,200 general practitioners (GPs) in 34 countries. Task shifting is measured through a composite score of GPs' self-reported shifting of tasks. Independent variables at GP and practice level are as follows: innovativeness; part-time working; availability of staff; location and population of the practice. Country-level independent variables are as follows: demand for and supply of care, nurse prescribing, and professionalisation of practice assistants/nurses. Multilevel analysis is used to account for clustering of GPs in countries.
findingsCountries vary in the degree of task shifting. Regarding GP and practice characteristics, use of electronic health records and availability of support staff in the practice are positively associated with task shifting and GPs' working hours negatively, in line with our hypotheses. Age of the GPs is, contrary to our hypothesis, positively related to task shifting. These variables explain 11% of the variance at GP level. Two country variables are related to task shifting: a lower percentage of practices without support staff in a country and nurse prescribing rights coincide with more task shifting. The percentage of practices without support staff has the strongest relationship, explaining 73% of the country variation.
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