“Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information

Abstract

IntroductionProviding family physicians (FPs) with the information they need is crucial for their participation in a coordinated pandemic or health emergency response, and to allow them to effectively run their practices. Most pandemic planning documents do not address communication plans specific to FPs. This study describes FPs' experiences and challenges with information management during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with FPs across four Canadian regions and asked about their roles during different pandemic stages, as well as facilitators and barriers they experienced in performing these roles. We transcribed the interviews, used a thematic analysis approach to develop a unified coding template across the four regions, and identified recurring themes.ResultsWe interviewed 68 FPs and identified two key themes specifically related to communication. The first is FPs' experiences obtaining and managing information during the COVID-19 pandemic. FPs were overwhelmed by the volume of information and had difficulty applying the information to their practices. The second is the specific attributes FPs need from the information sent to them. Participants wanted summarized and consistent information from credible sources that are relevant to primary care.DiscussionProviding clear, collated, and relevant information to FPs is essential during pandemics and other health emergencies. Future pandemic plans should integrate strategies to deliver information to FPs that is tailored to primary care. Findings highlight the need for a coordinated communication strategy to effectively inform FPs in health emergencies.

Redeployment Among Primary Care Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

“…Although communication surrounding redeployment improved as the pandemic progressed, nurses were left feeling uncertain about why their initial expressions of interest to redeploy were overlooked. Additionally, effective communication during pandemics must be both clear and timely ( Lowe et al, 2022 ) as well as collated and relevant ( Young et al, 2023 ). Nurses noted that sometimes they received incomplete information or short notice regarding their redeployment, which prevented them from adequately preparing to work in this new setting.…”

“…Information related to roles and activities should be clearly communicated to the redeployed nurse and the nurses’ scope of practice considered in all redeployment decisions. Although it is noted that no best practices related to communication exist for public health emergencies (Ontario Hospital Association, n.d.), the study team suggests that, when developing communication plans for a pandemic, it is necessary to have a basic communication infrastructure that allows for bi-directional communication ( Mathews et al, 2023b ), as well as clear, consistent, credible, collated messaging that is applicable to the primary care setting ( Young et al, 2023 ). Reddy and Gupta (2020) note that it is important to consider the unique culture of the audience when developing a strategic communication plan during an epidemic ( Reddy & Gupta, 2020 ).…”

Practice- and System-Based Interventions to Reduce COVID-19 Transmission in Primary Care Settings: A Qualitative Study

“…Future research should evaluate the impact of influenza-like illness clinics and mass assessment and testing centres on the transmission of COVID-19 to FPs and the utilization of EDs by patients with respiratory symptoms. Moreover, the study highlights the need to provide clear guidelines and educate FPs about IPAC tailored to primary care settings (Young et al 2023), to include primary care providers in the allocation and distribution of PPE (Mathews et al 2023a) and to develop communication plans to engage and communicate with primary care providers (Mathews et al 2022;Young et al 2023) during rapidly evolving health crises.…”

“Family doctors are also people”: a qualitative analysis of how family physicians managed competing personal and professional responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Consequently, many community-based FPs did not receive sufficient or timely professional supports or resources [ 13 ], such as public health and COVID-19 information, practice guidance, and access to appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) [ 14 , 15 ]. This lack of support could leave FPs with pre-existing health conditions feeling vulnerable and those without concerned about how to contribute to the pandemic response while protecting their families from their work exposures [ 13 ].…”