General practitioners' perceptions of using virtual primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: An international cross-sectional survey study.

ABSTRACT: With the onset of COVID-19, general practitioners (GPs) and patients worldwide swiftly transitioned from face-to-face to digital remote consultations. There is a need to evaluate how this global shift has impacted patient care, healthcare providers, patient and carer experience, and health systems. We explored GPs' perspectives on the main benefits and challenges of using digital virtual care. GPs across 20 countries completed an online questionnaire between June-September 2020. GPs' perceptions of main barriers and challenges were explored using free-text questions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. A total of 1,605 respondents participated in our survey. The benefits identified included reducing COVID-19 transmission risks, guaranteeing access and continuity of care, improv

SUBMITTER: Li E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9931239 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature