Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36248310›Full record

ArticleSSM. Qualitative research in health2022

"It was horrible for that community, but not for the way we had imagined": A qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of caring for communities experiencing marginalisation during COVID-19.

Sarah Spencer, Lindsay Hedden, Crystal Vaughan, Emily Gard Marshall, Julia Lukewich, Shabnam Asghari, Paul Gill, Richard Buote, Leslie Meredith, Lauren Moritz and 2 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in SSM. Qualitative research in health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
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

8 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Experiences of U.S. frontline physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025
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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

12 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Sarah SpencerFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada.
Lindsay HeddenFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada.
Crystal VaughanFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3V6, Canada.
Emily Gard MarshallDepartment of Family Medicine Primary Care Research Unit, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3T4, Canada.
Julia LukewichFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3V6, Canada.
Shabnam AsghariFamily Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3V6, Canada.
Paul GillTemerty Faculty of Medicine Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Toronto, 500 University Avenue, M5G 1V7, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Richard BuoteDepartment of Family Medicine Primary Care Research Unit, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3T4, Canada.
Leslie MeredithSchulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Department of Family Medicine, Western University, 1465 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, N6G 2M1, Canada.
Lauren MoritzDepartment of Family Medicine Primary Care Research Unit, Dalhousie University, 1465 Brenton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3T4, Canada.
Dana RyanFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, 300 Prince Philip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3V6, Canada.
Maria MathewsSchulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Department of Family Medicine, Western University, 1465 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, N6G 2M1, Canada.
Dalhousie University · CAMemorial University of Newfoundland · CAWestern University · CASimon Fraser University · CAUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The COVID-19 response required family physicians (FPs) to adapt their practice to minimise transmission risks. Policy guidance to facilitate enacting public health measures has been generic and difficult to apply, particularly for FPs working with communities that experience marginalisation. Our objective was to explore the experiences of FPs serving communities experiencing marginalisation during COVID-19, and the impact the pandemic and pandemic response have had on physicians' ability to provide care. We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with FPs from four Canadian regions, October 2020 through June 2021. We employed maximum variation sampling and continued recruitment until we reached saturation. Interviews explored participants' roles/experiences during the pandemic, and the facilitators and barriers they encountered in continuing to support communities experiencing marginalisation throughout. We used a thematic approach to analyse the data. FPs working with communities experiencing marginalisation expressed the need to continue providing in-person care throughout the pandemic, often requiring them to devise innovative adaptations to their clinical settings and practice. Physicians noted the health implications for their patients, particularly where services were limited or deferred, and that pandemic response policies frequently ignored the unique needs of their patient populations. Pandemic-related precautionary measures that sought to minimise viral transmission and prevent overwhelming acute care settings may have undermined pre-existing services and superseded the ongoing harms that are disproportionately experienced by communities experiencing marginalisation. FPs are well placed to support the development of pandemic response plans that appreciate competing risks amongst their communities and must be included in pandemic planning in the future.

Indexed as

COVID-19EquityFPs, family physiciansIPAC, infection prevention and controlMarginalisationPandemicPPE, personal protective equipmentPrimary care

Identifiers

PMID36248310
PMCPMC9536327
OpenAlexW4298111662

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.