Service provision and utilisation in German paediatric primary care practices during public health crises: Protocol of the mixed-methods COVID-19 PedCare Study.

introductionPublic health crises such as pandemics can cause serious disruptions to the utilisation and provision of healthcare services with negative effects on morbidity and mortality. Despite the important role of paediatric primary care in maintaining high-quality healthcare services during crises, evidence about service utilisation and provision remains limited especially in Germany. This study, therefore, explores the utilisation and provision of paediatric primary care services during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and their barriers and facilitators. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The study uses a convergent mixed-methods design and comprises online surveys to parents, adolescents and primary care paediatricians (PCPs) and semistructured interviews with parents and PCPs. We recruit parents and adolescents from paediatric primary care practices and PCPs via email using mailing lists of the German Professional Association of Paediatricians and the German Society of Ambulatory Primary Care Paediatrics. The parent and adolescent surveys assess, ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Review Board of the Medical Faculty Mannheim at Heidelberg University (2020-650N). Study results will be published in journals with external peer-review.