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Primary health care policy advocacy in Europe : A cross-sectional study of family medicine associations

Gómez-Bravo, Raquel ; Ares-Blanco, Sara ; Mamo, Nick ; Guisado-Clavero, Marina ; León-Herrera, Sandra ; Rasic, Veronika ; Neves, Ana Luisa ; Rochfort, Andreé ; Harding, Alex and Hummers, Eva , et al. (2026) In European Journal of General Practice 32(1).
Abstract

Background: Policy advocacy (PA) in European healthcare has a strong tradition promoting evidence-based policies. Key organisations, including the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the WHO’s Evidence-Informed Policy Network, and the OECD play pivotal roles in integrating research into policymaking. Objectives: To assess the involvement of European Family Medicine (FM) Associations in PA, identify key issues, and explore interactions with governmental and institutional bodies related to Primary Health Care (PHC)—defined as first-contact, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated care provided by general practitioners/family doctors (GPs), in line with the WHO Alma-Ata and Astana declarations—and perceived challenges... (More)

Background: Policy advocacy (PA) in European healthcare has a strong tradition promoting evidence-based policies. Key organisations, including the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the WHO’s Evidence-Informed Policy Network, and the OECD play pivotal roles in integrating research into policymaking. Objectives: To assess the involvement of European Family Medicine (FM) Associations in PA, identify key issues, and explore interactions with governmental and institutional bodies related to Primary Health Care (PHC)—defined as first-contact, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated care provided by general practitioners/family doctors (GPs), in line with the WHO Alma-Ata and Astana declarations—and perceived challenges in PHC advocacy. Methods: An exploratory descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among WONCA Europe Member Organisations and GPs involved in PA. Data collected between November 2023 and February 2024. Content analysis was performed to identify themes related to advocacy priorities. Results: Responses were received from 12 member organisations across 12 countries and 37 participants from 17 countries. Key concerns included workforce shortages, high workloads, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient financial compensation. Public visibility, gender equality, and the integration of FM into university curricula were also highlighted. Eleven respondents reported active engagement with national governments in policy discussions. Conclusion: Respondents highlighted the need for a more unified strategy to address common PHC challenges across Europe. WONCA Europe’s Working Party on PA supports national efforts through exchange of best practices, research support, and promoting FM at national and European levels. Continued research and advocacy were viewed as essential for sustaining effective and equitable PHC in Europe.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
European healthcare systems, evidence-based policymaking, family medicine, Policy advocacy, primary health care
in
European Journal of General Practice
volume
32
issue
1
article number
2625572
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • scopus:105031190762
  • pmid:41733311
ISSN
1381-4788
DOI
10.1080/13814788.2026.2625572
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
id
addb44f9-aa5d-4ddb-9a1b-857a456b4d86
date added to LUP
2026-04-15 14:14:21
date last changed
2026-09-04 09:10:57
@article{addb44f9-aa5d-4ddb-9a1b-857a456b4d86,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Policy advocacy (PA) in European healthcare has a strong tradition promoting evidence-based policies. Key organisations, including the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, the WHO’s Evidence-Informed Policy Network, and the OECD play pivotal roles in integrating research into policymaking. Objectives: To assess the involvement of European Family Medicine (FM) Associations in PA, identify key issues, and explore interactions with governmental and institutional bodies related to Primary Health Care (PHC)—defined as first-contact, continuous, comprehensive, and coordinated care provided by general practitioners/family doctors (GPs), in line with the WHO Alma-Ata and Astana declarations—and perceived challenges in PHC advocacy. Methods: An exploratory descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among WONCA Europe Member Organisations and GPs involved in PA. Data collected between November 2023 and February 2024. Content analysis was performed to identify themes related to advocacy priorities. Results: Responses were received from 12 member organisations across 12 countries and 37 participants from 17 countries. Key concerns included workforce shortages, high workloads, inadequate infrastructure, and insufficient financial compensation. Public visibility, gender equality, and the integration of FM into university curricula were also highlighted. Eleven respondents reported active engagement with national governments in policy discussions. Conclusion: Respondents highlighted the need for a more unified strategy to address common PHC challenges across Europe. WONCA Europe’s Working Party on PA supports national efforts through exchange of best practices, research support, and promoting FM at national and European levels. Continued research and advocacy were viewed as essential for sustaining effective and equitable PHC in Europe.</p>}},
  author       = {{Gómez-Bravo, Raquel and Ares-Blanco, Sara and Mamo, Nick and Guisado-Clavero, Marina and León-Herrera, Sandra and Rasic, Veronika and Neves, Ana Luisa and Rochfort, Andreé and Harding, Alex and Hummers, Eva and Asenova, Radost and Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando and Poppleton, Aaron and Bueno Ortiz, Jose Miguel and Vinker, Shlomo and Astier-Peña, Maria Pilar and Frese, Thomas}},
  issn         = {{1381-4788}},
  keywords     = {{European healthcare systems; evidence-based policymaking; family medicine; Policy advocacy; primary health care}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{European Journal of General Practice}},
  title        = {{Primary health care policy advocacy in Europe : A cross-sectional study of family medicine associations}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2026.2625572}},
  doi          = {{10.1080/13814788.2026.2625572}},
  volume       = {{32}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}