COVID-19: threat or opportunity for quality improvement (QI) in primary care?

Purpose - Getting familiar with the results of the PRICOV-19 study, a multi-country study on quality of care and patient safety in primary care in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. - Obtaining insight into the results of case studies in Norwegian nursing homes. - Reflecting on the threats and opportunities regarding quality of care the respondents experienced in their own practice and in general practice in their country. - Gaining inspiration from the experiences of colleagues and the input of experts to turn threats into opportunities. - Formulating a plan for QI in your own practice (structure, process, outcome) Context - Getting to know each other and the program of the workshop (10’) - Presentation of the results of the studies described above incl. what was identified as a threat /opportunity for QI in primary care and in the national health care system (15’) - Thematic small-group sessions: sharing experiences and reflecting on how the experienced threats could be turned into an opportunity (40’). The themes are: (1) patient safety; (2) integration of public health into primary care (3) equity and care for vulnerable population groups; (4) care for the caregiver; and (5) keeping up with guidelines in a rapidly changing world; (6) interprofessional collaboration - Plenary session with expert panel (20’) - Participants formulate a personal intention for action within the next three weeks. (5’) Participants are inspired to find solutions for the threats COVID-19 poses in their own working context and this is written down in a concrete plan for the near future. State of the art The COVID-19 pandemic presented primary care with unprecedented organizational and structural challenges, such as amended tasks like teleconsultations, intensive collaboration with services of secondary care and other general practices in the geographical area, and limited availability of resources in terms of staff members, infrastructure, and protective equipment. At the same time, these challenges can be opportunities for change and quality improvement in general practice.