How Do German General Practitioners Assess Medical Specialist Care Needs of Nursing Home Residents? Results of a Postal Survey in North-Western Germany

Abstract

The frequency of contacts of nursing home residents with medical specialists is lower compared to the general population of the same age group in Germany. The aim of this study was to assess general practitioners’ (GPs) views on specialist care needs of nursing home residents, on questions of qualification and care coordination. A cross-sectional study was conducted with a postal questionnaire among a representative sample of 1121 GPs in north-western Germany in 2018. The perceptions of GPs about the relative importance of the type of specialist care that is required in nursing homes was assessed on a five-point Likert scale (0 = very low to 4 = very high). A total of 375 GPs (response 33.5%; mean age 54.4 years; 57.6% male) participated in the survey. GPs assessed care needs as highest for neurologists and psychiatrists (68.7%) and lowest for gynecologists (6.5%). Almost all respondents (96.2%) strongly agreed that medical care for nursing home residents should be coordinated by GPs and that GPs should initiate the referral for further specialist care when required (87.5%). A minority (25.7%) agreed that quality of medical care would improve when care for a nursing home was provided by only one GP practice. GPs perceive the needs of nursing home residents for specialist care as high only in relation to care by neurologists and psychiatrists. GPs consider their own coordination function for medical care in nursing homes as very important.

General practitioner care in nursing homes during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: A retrospective survey among nursing home managers

“…Moreover, the present study only investigates perceived de cits in GP care by managers in nursing homes; this does not cover inadequacies in the utilisation of other aspects of the healthcare system, such as medical specialists [16,17,18,19,20], which was beyond the focus of the present study. Furthermore, we measured neither the quantity nor the quality of GP care during the pandemic, and the results may be prone to biases.…”

“…As with structural de cits, the frequency of consultations between nursing home residents and GPs and medical specialists was inconsistent and less frequent for residents of long-term care facilities than for the general population of the same age even before the pandemic began [16,17,18,19,20]. However, it is unclear how much of an impact the pandemic has had on this aspect of the healthcare system in Germany.…”