The Social Prescribing Link Worker (SPLW) approach is a means for supporting individuals and communities with diverse needs, with its reach and impact widely recognised in health and community systems. However, SPLW support for people with long-term physical and mental health conditions (P + MH LTCs) has been variable and there are knowledge gaps such as unheard voices of those...
This feasibility study explored a process for primary care clinicians to improve chronic pain management related to opioid prescribing practices by using state-based Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) data to create panel management reports on patients receiving long term opioid therapy. Conducted across four rural primary care clinics in Northern New England, the study...
Non-communicable diseases are responsible for three-fourths of annual deaths worldwide and disproportionately affect individuals living in low- and middle-income countries. As populations age and the burden of chronic diseases rises, the role of the health workforce becomes increasingly vital in ensuring equitable access to prevention, early detection, and appropriate treatment...
Quality improvement strategies are increasingly being used across all healthcare settings to improve patient outcomes. However, the effectiveness of QI interventions in improving the care of cardiovascular (CVD) disease remains unclear. More evidence is needed to determine whether QI interventions can improve CVD medication use, manage risk factors, and enhance clinical outcomes...
A strong primary care is key to a high-quality healthcare system. Due to challenges in primary care, competent professionals, whose competencies are aligned with the needs of practice, are needed. To our knowledge, a generic transdisciplinary competency framework encompassing all primary care professionals across different disciplines is currently lacking. Competency frameworks...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly integrated into family medicine research and practice, enhancing diagnostics, data analysis, and care delivery. Yet, its rapid adoption has outpaced the development of standardized editorial policies, raising concerns about transparency, ethics, and reproducibility. Clear guidance from journals is urgently needed to ensure responsible...
Medication errors (MEs) remain a leading cause of preventable harm in healthcare systems worldwide, contributing to adverse drug events, morbidity, increased healthcare costs, prolonged hospitalization, and mortality. The paediatric population is particularly susceptible to MEs due to the need for individualized dosing based on weight and age, which introduces additional...
Patients with multimorbidity face complex decision-making needs, including decreasing polypharmacy burden, maintaining physical functioning and prolonging life. Patient decision aids (DAs) have been developed and implemented as clinical tools to support complex decision-making in the management of multimorbidity in primary care. This study aimed to identify DAs developed for...
Trans and gender-diverse people experience a high burden of health issues and face barriers to accessing care. Primary care has a large responsibility in providing equitable access to care and thus improving the health of the population. We, therefore, explored trans and gender-diverse people’s experiences of primary care in Sweden. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with...
This qualitative study examined how primary care providers (PCPs) prioritize addressing diabetes prevention with patients newly diagnosed with prediabetes and identified barriers and facilitators to providing diabetes prevention services (DPS). To examine transitions of care, we also evaluated how PCPs received and acted on screening information obtained outside of a primary care...
Produce prescription programs (PRx) are gaining traction in Canada and globally as an approach to promote food security and healthy diets. Unison Health and Community Services (Unison), a community health centre in Toronto, Canada, piloted a PRx program to promote food access and healthy eating for adults with experiences of food insecurity and chronic disease risk factors. In...
Frailty is a state of increased vulnerability from physical, social, and cognitive factors and can result in several negative health outcomes at an individual and systemic level. Existing electronic medical record (EMR) data can be optimized to identify patients’ frailty level in primary care to facilitate early intervention and management of frailty in an efficient manner. The...
Cognitive impairment (CI) is projected to significantly increase as the population ages. While primary care clinicians are often the first point of contact for patients with cognitive decline, many clinicians report significant barriers to addressing CI in primary care, including lack of time, lack of established workflow, and low confidence in diagnosing and managing CI. To...
Integrated care has the potential to mitigate patient safety risks by enhancing collaboration and maintaining a patient-centred approach. However, best practices for successful implementation are lacking. This study aims to identify and describe key components of best practices for integrating health and social care to increase understanding of successful implementation. A...
Previous studies have shown inconsistent results for the microvascular complication risk in patients with type 2 diabetes and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). In addition, many of these studies have been done in specialist care setting. We therefore aimed to explore the association between MASLD and chronic kidney disease, retinopathy, neuropathy...
In recent years, outsourcing of primary health services has emerged as a strategic response to growing demands for efficiency and sustainability in healthcare systems. However, especially in low- and middle-income countries like Iran, the implementation of outsourcing faces multiple systemic and contextual challenges. This study aimed to examine the challenges associated with...
Millions of Americans provide health and function-related help to family (broadly defined). These “care partners” provide critical support; however, they are rarely identified or supported in care delivery. Conduct a multi-site evaluation of a portal-based intervention designed to identify, engage, and support care partners in primary care settings. Three days before a visit...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often associated with comorbidities, which further complicates the impact of the disease. However, most self-management support for COPD do not account for patients’ comorbidities. This study is the qualitative evaluation of a novel self-management program for people with COPD in the context of multimorbidity, delivered by practice...
Due to the shortage of rheumatologists in Cameroon, general practitioners (GPs) play a crucial role in providing knee and epidural infiltrations. This study aimed to assess their knowledge and practices related to these procedures. A cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted between January and February 2025 among Cameroonian GPs who had graduated within the past five...
Mifepristone-misoprostol, the gold standard medication abortion drug regimen, became available in Canada in 2017. However, there is limited evidence regarding the factors that influence primary care providers to begin prescribing medication abortion. We aimed to explore perspectives of the behavioural, social, and system factors that influence implementation of medication...
Although deprescribing is an evidence-based practice to address polypharmacy in patients with multimorbidity, primary care physicians (PCPs) face multiple challenges in its implementation. Designing implementation strategies to support PCPs in proactively deprescribing is necessary. However, little is known about PCPs’ preferences regarding such strategies. This study aimed to...
The prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to rise worldwide, which is associated with a decrease in quality of Life and an increase in healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to determine cost-effectiveness of a one year monthly 5-consecutive day fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) programme for patients with type 2 diabetes treated with lifestyle advice only or lifestyle advice...
Low-dose aspirin has long been recommended for primary prevention. This indication has been reconsidered owing to an unfavourable benefit–risk balance, no proven reduction in cardiovascular risk and an increase in the risk of haemorrhage. The recommendations concerning this indication are still contradictory and are a source of confusion for general practitioners (GPs...
Dementia is a global public health challenge with the number of people living with the condition rapidly rising. Social prescribing in primary care has emerged as a person-centred approach connecting individuals with community support. It is increasingly explored for its potential to support people with complex needs, yet its role in dementia care remains uncertain. This study...
In countries without a gatekeeping system, including China, promoting primary healthcare (PHC) utilization can improve system efficiency and reduce healthcare burden. However, evidence on diabetes patients’ PHC utilization and its impact on health outcomes remains limited. This study employs continuity of care (COC) to examine care-seeking behavior at PHC institutions in China...