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Addressing health inequity during the COVID-19 pandemic through primary health care and public health collaboration : a multiple case study analysis in eight high-income countries

Vanden Bossche, Dorien ; Zhao, Q. Jane ; Ares-Blanco, Sara ; Peña, Maria Pilar Astier ; Decat, Peter ; Kondo, Naoki ; Kroneman, Madelon ; Nishioka, Daisuke ; Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando LU orcid and Rortveit, Guri , et al. (2023) In International Journal for Equity in Health 22(1).
Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic substantially magnified the inequity gaps among vulnerable populations. Both public health (PH) and primary health care (PHC) have been crucial in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic, especially in the area of vulnerable populations. However, little is known about the intersection between PH and PHC as a strategy to mitigate the inequity gap. This study aims to assess the collaboration between PHC and PH with a focus on addressing the health needs of vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic across jurisdictions. Methods: We analyzed and compared data from jurisdictional reports of COVID-19 pandemic responses in PHC and PH in Belgium, Canada (Ontario), Germany, Italy, Japan, the... (More)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic substantially magnified the inequity gaps among vulnerable populations. Both public health (PH) and primary health care (PHC) have been crucial in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic, especially in the area of vulnerable populations. However, little is known about the intersection between PH and PHC as a strategy to mitigate the inequity gap. This study aims to assess the collaboration between PHC and PH with a focus on addressing the health needs of vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic across jurisdictions. Methods: We analyzed and compared data from jurisdictional reports of COVID-19 pandemic responses in PHC and PH in Belgium, Canada (Ontario), Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain from 2020 to 2021. Results: Four themes emerge from the analysis: (1) the majority of the countries implemented outreach strategies targeting vulnerable groups as a means to ensure continued access to PHC; (2) digital assessment in PHC was found to be present across all the countries; (3) PHC was insufficiently represented at the decision-making level; (4) there is a lack of clear communication channels between PH and PHC in all the countries. Conclusions: This study identified opportunities for collaboration between PHC and PH to reduce inequity gaps and to improve population health, focusing on vulnerable populations. The COVID-19 response in these eight countries has demonstrated the importance of an integrated PHC system. Consequently, the development of effective strategies for responding to and planning for pandemics should take into account the social determinants of health in order to mitigate the unequal impact of COVID-19. Careful, intentional coordination between PH and PHC should be established in normal times as a basis for effective response during future public health emergencies. The pandemic has provided significant insights on how to strengthen health systems and provide universal access to healthcare by fostering stronger connections between PH and PHC.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Collaboration, COVID-19, Equity, Primary health care, Public health, Vulnerable populations
in
International Journal for Equity in Health
volume
22
issue
1
article number
171
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • pmid:37653472
  • scopus:85169319313
ISSN
1475-9276
DOI
10.1186/s12939-023-01968-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
15a4b70c-d3ad-42aa-be3c-033f35fc4232
date added to LUP
2023-10-19 09:47:40
date last changed
2024-04-19 02:33:18
@article{15a4b70c-d3ad-42aa-be3c-033f35fc4232,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: The COVID-19 pandemic substantially magnified the inequity gaps among vulnerable populations. Both public health (PH) and primary health care (PHC) have been crucial in addressing the challenges posed by the pandemic, especially in the area of vulnerable populations. However, little is known about the intersection between PH and PHC as a strategy to mitigate the inequity gap. This study aims to assess the collaboration between PHC and PH with a focus on addressing the health needs of vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic across jurisdictions. Methods: We analyzed and compared data from jurisdictional reports of COVID-19 pandemic responses in PHC and PH in Belgium, Canada (Ontario), Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain from 2020 to 2021. Results: Four themes emerge from the analysis: (1) the majority of the countries implemented outreach strategies targeting vulnerable groups as a means to ensure continued access to PHC; (2) digital assessment in PHC was found to be present across all the countries; (3) PHC was insufficiently represented at the decision-making level; (4) there is a lack of clear communication channels between PH and PHC in all the countries. Conclusions: This study identified opportunities for collaboration between PHC and PH to reduce inequity gaps and to improve population health, focusing on vulnerable populations. The COVID-19 response in these eight countries has demonstrated the importance of an integrated PHC system. Consequently, the development of effective strategies for responding to and planning for pandemics should take into account the social determinants of health in order to mitigate the unequal impact of COVID-19. Careful, intentional coordination between PH and PHC should be established in normal times as a basis for effective response during future public health emergencies. The pandemic has provided significant insights on how to strengthen health systems and provide universal access to healthcare by fostering stronger connections between PH and PHC.</p>}},
  author       = {{Vanden Bossche, Dorien and Zhao, Q. Jane and Ares-Blanco, Sara and Peña, Maria Pilar Astier and Decat, Peter and Kondo, Naoki and Kroneman, Madelon and Nishioka, Daisuke and Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando and Rortveit, Guri and Schaubroeck, Emmily and Stark, Stefanie and Pinto, Andrew D. and Willems, Sara}},
  issn         = {{1475-9276}},
  keywords     = {{Collaboration; COVID-19; Equity; Primary health care; Public health; Vulnerable populations}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{International Journal for Equity in Health}},
  title        = {{Addressing health inequity during the COVID-19 pandemic through primary health care and public health collaboration : a multiple case study analysis in eight high-income countries}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12939-023-01968-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s12939-023-01968-6}},
  volume       = {{22}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}