ArticleThe European journal of general practice2023
German general practitioners' experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected their patient care: A qualitative study.
Article in The European journal of general practice, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 20 citations in OpenAlex.
- Developing a framework for primary health care resilience in pandemic conditions for Iran.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- 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
- The impact of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on general practitioner contacts among patients with common and at-risk diagnoses: a Norwegian registry-based study.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Enhanced crisis resilience of general practitioner-centred care: a retrospective cohort study of patients with coronary artery disease during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany.BMC primary care · 2025Article
- The Implementation of Infection Prevention and Control Procedures in Primary Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study of Nursing Roles.Journal of nursing management · 2025Article
- Primary Health Care Challenges in Managing Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases: A Comprehensive Literature Review.Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran · 2025Review
- The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Primary Health Care through 'health providers' eyes': Α qualitative study of focus groups and individual interviews in Greece.The European journal of general practice · 2024Article
- Higher interest to continue COVID-19 practice recommendations in non-pandemic times among German GPs with better crisis leadership skills (egePan study).BMC health services research · 2024Article
- "A bit of a cough, tired, not very resilient - is that already Long-COVID?" perceptions and experiences of GPs with Long-COVID in year three of the pandemic. a qualitative interview study in Austria.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Article
- Knowledge as a Predictor for Preparedness in Managing COVID-19 Among General Practitioners in Malaysia.Cureus · 2024Article
- The Predominance of the Health-Promoting Patterns of Work Behavior and Experience in General Practice Teams-Results of the IMPROVEHealthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- A 'special issue on COVID-19'. Fourteen primary care publications with implications for practice, teaching, and research.The European journal of general practice · 2023Article
- Stress experiences of healthcare assistants in family practice at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed methods study.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGeneral practitioners (GPs) play a significant role in providing medical care to patients affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Little is known about the impact of the pandemic on patient care from the perspective of GPs.
objectivesTo gain insight into GPs' experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on patient care in Germany.
methodsFrom August to December 2020, qualitative, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 22 GPs from four randomly selected federal states in Germany. We analysed the data according to Kuckartz's method of content analysis.
resultsFive themes emerged: changes in healthcare system, practice routines, patient care, personal life, and improving health crisis preparedness. Communication with authorities and following rapidly changing guidelines were the biggest challenges during the pandemic. Teamwork and collegial exchange in the practice were seen as important sources of support to overcome these barriers. Participants stated that they managed to secure care but expressed concerns about how social distancing might affect the doctor-patient relationship. In their professional and private lives, GPs perceived themselves as role models with a high responsibility for the health of others. Consistent guidance by health authorities and reliable information were raised as necessary for managing patient care in the pandemic.
conclusionFindings show that patient care was successful but GPs' adaptation to unprecedented conditions was limited by poor communication and collaboration with health authorities. Therefore, providing adequate support services by policymakers is essential to strengthen primary care in future health crises.
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