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Differences between Rural and Urban Practices in the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic : Outcomes from the PRICOV-19 Study in 38 Countries

Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando LU orcid ; Collins, Claire ; Van Poel, Esther ; Tatsioni, Athina ; Streit, Sven ; Bojaj, Gazmend ; Asenova, Radost ; Hoffmann, Kathryn ; Gabrani, Jonila and Klemenc-Ketis, Zalika , et al. (2023) In International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 20(4).
Abstract

This paper explores the differences between rural and urban practices in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing aspects such as management of patient flow, infection prevention and control, information processing, communication and collaboration. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected through the online PRICOV-19 questionnaire sent to general practices in 38 countries. Rural practices in our sample were smaller than urban-based practices. They reported an above-average number of old and multimorbid patients and a below-average number of patients with a migrant background or financial problems. Rural practices were less likely to provide leaflets and information, but were more likely to have ceased using the... (More)

This paper explores the differences between rural and urban practices in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing aspects such as management of patient flow, infection prevention and control, information processing, communication and collaboration. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected through the online PRICOV-19 questionnaire sent to general practices in 38 countries. Rural practices in our sample were smaller than urban-based practices. They reported an above-average number of old and multimorbid patients and a below-average number of patients with a migrant background or financial problems. Rural practices were less likely to provide leaflets and information, but were more likely to have ceased using the waiting room or to have made structural changes to their waiting room and to have changed their prescribing practices in terms of patients attending the practices. They were less likely to perform video consultations or use electronic prescription methods. Our findings show the existence of certain issues that could impact patient safety in rural areas more than in urban areas due to the underlying differences in population profile and supports. These could be used to plan the organization of care for similar future pandemic situations.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
COVID-19, general practice, international comparison, PRICOV-19, primary health care, quality of care, rural, urban
in
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
volume
20
issue
4
article number
3674
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • pmid:36834369
  • scopus:85148965146
ISSN
1661-7827
DOI
10.3390/ijerph20043674
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6888eaac-4d64-4f95-82d0-d2a4e99f6896
date added to LUP
2023-03-16 10:45:05
date last changed
2025-01-24 09:36:00
@article{6888eaac-4d64-4f95-82d0-d2a4e99f6896,
  abstract     = {{<p>This paper explores the differences between rural and urban practices in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing aspects such as management of patient flow, infection prevention and control, information processing, communication and collaboration. Using a cross-sectional design, data were collected through the online PRICOV-19 questionnaire sent to general practices in 38 countries. Rural practices in our sample were smaller than urban-based practices. They reported an above-average number of old and multimorbid patients and a below-average number of patients with a migrant background or financial problems. Rural practices were less likely to provide leaflets and information, but were more likely to have ceased using the waiting room or to have made structural changes to their waiting room and to have changed their prescribing practices in terms of patients attending the practices. They were less likely to perform video consultations or use electronic prescription methods. Our findings show the existence of certain issues that could impact patient safety in rural areas more than in urban areas due to the underlying differences in population profile and supports. These could be used to plan the organization of care for similar future pandemic situations.</p>}},
  author       = {{Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando and Collins, Claire and Van Poel, Esther and Tatsioni, Athina and Streit, Sven and Bojaj, Gazmend and Asenova, Radost and Hoffmann, Kathryn and Gabrani, Jonila and Klemenc-Ketis, Zalika and Rochfort, Andrée and Adler, Limor and Windak, Adam and Nessler, Katarzyna and Willems, Sara}},
  issn         = {{1661-7827}},
  keywords     = {{COVID-19; general practice; international comparison; PRICOV-19; primary health care; quality of care; rural; urban}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health}},
  title        = {{Differences between Rural and Urban Practices in the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic : Outcomes from the PRICOV-19 Study in 38 Countries}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043674}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/ijerph20043674}},
  volume       = {{20}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}