ArticleIrish journal of medical science2024
Effects of COVID-19 on Irish general practice activity from 2019 to 2021: a retrospective analysis of 500,000 consultations using electronic medical record data.
Article in Irish journal of medical science, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment dispensing in the Irish General Medical Services population from 2012 to 2022: a repeated cross-sectional analysis.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2026Article
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cancer incidence, stage, mortality, and short-term survival in Ireland: a population-based analysis.ESMO real world data and digital oncology · 2026Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundGeneral practice (GP) is crucial to primary care delivery in the Republic of Ireland and is almost fully computerised. General practice teams were the first point of contact for much COVID-19-related care and there were concerns routine healthcare activities could be disrupted due to COVID-19 and related restrictions.
aimsThe study aimed to assess effects of the pandemic on GP activity through analysis of electronic medical record data from general practice clinics in the Irish Midwest.
methodsA retrospective, descriptive study of electronic medical record data relating to patient record updates, appointments and medications prescribed across 10 GP clinics over the period 2019-2021 inclusive.
resultsData relating to 1.18 million record transactions for 32 k patients were analysed. Over 500 k appointments were examined, and demographic trends presented. Overall appointment and prescribing activity increased over the study period, while a dip was observed immediately after the pandemic's arrival in March 2020. Delivery of non-childhood immunisations increased sixfold as a result of COVID-19, childhood immunisation activity was maintained, while cervical smears decreased in 2020 as the screening programme was halted. A quarter of consultations in 2020 and 2021 were teleconsultations, and these were more commonplace for younger patients.
conclusionsGeneral practice responded robustly to the pandemic by taking on additional activities while maintaining routine services where possible. The shift to teleconsulting was a significant change in workflow. Analysing routinely collected electronic medical record data can provide valuable insights for service planning, and access to these insights would be beneficial for future pandemic responses.
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