Like building a plane and flying it all inone go’: an interview study of infectionprevention and control in Australiangeneral practice during the first 2 yearsof the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic
Date
2022
Authors
Hor, Su-Yin
Burns, Penelope
Yong, Faith R
Barratt, Ruth
Degeling, Chris
Veazey, Leah Williams
Wyer, Mary
Gilbert, Gwendolyn L
Journal Title
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BMJ Publishing Group
Abstract
Objectives General practitioners (GPs) and their
staff have been at the frontline of the SARS-CoV-
2
pandemic in Australia. However, their experiences
of responding to and managing the risks of viral
transmission within their facilities are poorly
described. The aim of this study was to describe the
experiences, and infection prevention and control (IPC)
strategies adopted by general practices, including
enablers of and challenges to implementation, to
contribute to our understanding of the pandemic
response in this critical sector.
Design Semistructured interviews were conducted
in person, by telephone or online video conferencing
software, between November 2020 and August 2021.
Participants Twenty general practice personnel working
in New South Wales, Australia, including nine GPs, one
general practice registrar, four registered nurses, one
nurse practitioner, two practice managers and two
receptionists.
Results Participants described implementing wide-ranging
repertoires of IPC strategies—including telehealth,
screening of patients and staff, altered clinic layouts and
portable outdoor shelters, in addition to appropriate use
of personal protective equipment (PPE)—to manage the
demands of the SARS-CoV-
2
pandemic. Strategies were
proactive, influenced by the varied contexts of different
practices and the needs and preferences of individual
GPs as well as responsive to local, state and national
requirements, which changed frequently as the pandemic
evolved.
Conclusions Using the ‘hierarchy of controls’ as a
framework for analysis, we found that the different
strategies adopted in general practice often functioned
in concert with one another. Most strategies,
particularly administrative and PPE controls, were
subjected to human variability and so were less
reliable from a human factors perspective. However,
our findings highlight the creativity, resilience and
resourcefulness of general practice staff in developing,
implementing and adapting their IPC strategies amidst
constantly changing pandemic conditions.
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BMJ - British Medical Journal
Type
Journal article
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Open Access
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CC BY- NC
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