Drivers of primary care appointment volumes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant reconfiguration of primary care systems internationally. For example, a large proportion of face-to-face appointments have been replaced by telephone or online consultations. As a result, the relationship between primary care appointment provision and some of its key determinants, such as workforce and demographic characteristics, are likely to have changed. Conclusions from previous studies which used only pre-pandemic data may no longer be applicable under these new configurations.

Methods

This study aims to investigate whether the relationships between primary care appointment rates and their determinants, including workforce composition and the age structure of registered patients, have changed after the COVID-19 pandem

SUBMITTER: Zhao T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11905703 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature