Table 1 Main characteristics of general practices and strategies implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic (n = 172)
Characteristics of practices | n | % |
|---|---|---|
Location of practice | ||
Big (inner)city | 24 | 14.1 |
Suburbs /(Small) town | 79 | 46.5 |
Mixed urban–rural / Rural | 67 | 39.4 |
Number of people actively work | ||
Paid staff | ||
1 to 10 | 96 | 56.8 |
11 to 20 | 65 | 38.5 |
20 and over | 8 | 4.7 |
Unpaid staff | ||
1 | 16 | 11.0 |
2 | 5 | 3.4 |
3 | 1 | 0.7 |
Number of GPs | ||
1 | 27 | 15.9 |
2 to 3 | 62 | 36.5 |
4 and over | 81 | 47.6 |
Number of GP trainees | ||
0 | 95 | 57.9 |
1 | 60 | 36.6 |
2 | 9 | 5.5 |
Staff working in practice | ||
Practice manager | 68 | 39.5 |
Nurse or care providers | 148 | 86.0 |
Size of this practice (number of patients) | ||
Under 2,000 | 24 | 14.3 |
2,000 to 3,999 | 47 | 28.0 |
4,000 to 5,999 | 35 | 20.8 |
6,000 to 7,999 | 23 | 13.7 |
8,000 and over | 39 | 23.2 |
Strategies implemented | ||
In the situation where telephone triage is performed by someone other than a GP and he/she needs support when assessing a call, he/she can rely on support from a GP. | ||
Always | 142 | 91.6 |
Never/Rarely/Sometimes/Mostly | 13 | 8.4 |
If an incident about quality of care occurs, this is discussed at a(n) (online) team meeting (either with the whole team or only with the health professionals) | ||
Always | 108 | 68.8 |
Never/Rarely/Sometimes/Usually | 49 | 31.2 |
Measures guarding patient safety | ||
Performing triage before patients enter this practice | 161 | 98.2 |
Limiting the number of patients in the waiting room | 136 | 82.9 |
No longer use the waiting room | 62 | 37.8 |
Telephone triage | 158 | 96.3 |
Structural changes to the reception area | 123 | 75.0 |
Increasing infection control practices | 159 | 97.0 |
Changing process of repeat prescription | 90 | 54.9 |
Using e-script or health mail for prescriptions | 151 | 92.1 |
Performing video consultations | 159 | 97.0 |