TY - JOUR
T1 - Primary care indicators for disease burden, monitoring and surveillance of COVID-19 in 31 European countries
T2 - Eurodata Study
AU - Ares-Blanco, Sara
AU - Guisado-Clavero, Marina
AU - Del Rio, Lourdes Ramos
AU - Larrondo, Ileana Gefaell
AU - Fitzgerald, Louise
AU - Murauskienė, Liubovė
AU - López, Naldy Parodi
AU - Perjés, Ábel
AU - Petek, Davorina
AU - Petrazzuoli, Ferdinando
AU - Petricek, Goranka
AU - Sattler, Martin
AU - Saurek-Aleksandrovska, Natalija
AU - Senn, Oliver
AU - Seifert, Bohumil
AU - Serafini, Alice
AU - Sentker, Theresa
AU - Ticmane, Gunta
AU - Tiili, Paula
AU - Torzsa, Péter
AU - Valtonen, Kirsi
AU - Vaes, Bert
AU - Vinker, Shlomo
AU - Adler, Limor
AU - Assenova, Radost
AU - Bakola, Maria
AU - Bayen, Sabine
AU - Brutskaya-Stempkovskaya, Elena
AU - Busneag, Iliana Carmen
AU - Divjak, Asja Ćosić
AU - Peña, Maryher Delphin
AU - Díaz, Esperanza
AU - Domeyer, Philippe Richard
AU - Feldmane, Sabine
AU - Gjorgjievski, Dragan
AU - Gómez-Johansson, Mila
AU - de la Fuente, Ángel Gónzalez
AU - Hanževački, Miroslav
AU - Hoffmann, Kathryn
AU - Ivanna, Shushman
AU - Jandrić-Kočić, Marijana
AU - Karathanos, Vasilis Trifon
AU - Üçüncü, Erva Kirkoç
AU - Kirkovski, Aleksandar
AU - Knežević, Snežana
AU - Korkmaz, Büsra Çimen
AU - Kostić, Milena
AU - Krztoń-Królewiecka, Anna
AU - Kozlovska, Liga
AU - Nessler, Katarzyna
AU - Gómez-Bravo, Raquel
AU - Peña, María Pilar Astier
AU - Lingner, Heidrun
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association.
PY - 2024/4/1
Y1 - 2024/4/1
N2 - Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of patients received ambulatory treatment, highlighting the importance of primary health care (PHC). However, there is limited knowledge regarding PHC workload in Europe during this period. The utilization of COVID-19 PHC indicators could facilitate the efficient monitoring and coordination of the pandemic response. The objective of this study is to describe PHC indicators for disease surveillance and monitoring of COVID-19's impact in Europe. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study employing data obtained through a semi-structured ad hoc questionnaire, which was collectively agreed upon by all participants. The study encompasses PHC settings in 31 European countries from March 2020 to August 2021. Key-informants from each country answered the questionnaire. Main outcome: the identification of any indicator used to describe PHC COVID-19 activity. Results: Out of the 31 countries surveyed, data on PHC information were obtained from 14. The principal indicators were: total number of cases within PHC (Belarus, Cyprus, Italy, Romania and Spain), number of follow-up cases (Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Spain and Turkey), GP's COVID-19 tests referrals (Poland), proportion of COVID-19 cases among respiratory illnesses consultations (Norway and France), sick leaves issued by GPs (Romania and Spain) and examination and complementary tests (Cyprus). All COVID-19 cases were attended in PHC in Belarus and Italy. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes a crucial deficiency in preparedness for infectious diseases in European health systems highlighting the inconsistent recording of indicators within PHC organizations. PHC standardized indicators and public data accessibility are urgently needed, conforming the foundation for an effective European-level health services response framework against future pandemics.
AB - Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of patients received ambulatory treatment, highlighting the importance of primary health care (PHC). However, there is limited knowledge regarding PHC workload in Europe during this period. The utilization of COVID-19 PHC indicators could facilitate the efficient monitoring and coordination of the pandemic response. The objective of this study is to describe PHC indicators for disease surveillance and monitoring of COVID-19's impact in Europe. Methods: Descriptive, cross-sectional study employing data obtained through a semi-structured ad hoc questionnaire, which was collectively agreed upon by all participants. The study encompasses PHC settings in 31 European countries from March 2020 to August 2021. Key-informants from each country answered the questionnaire. Main outcome: the identification of any indicator used to describe PHC COVID-19 activity. Results: Out of the 31 countries surveyed, data on PHC information were obtained from 14. The principal indicators were: total number of cases within PHC (Belarus, Cyprus, Italy, Romania and Spain), number of follow-up cases (Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Spain and Turkey), GP's COVID-19 tests referrals (Poland), proportion of COVID-19 cases among respiratory illnesses consultations (Norway and France), sick leaves issued by GPs (Romania and Spain) and examination and complementary tests (Cyprus). All COVID-19 cases were attended in PHC in Belarus and Italy. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes a crucial deficiency in preparedness for infectious diseases in European health systems highlighting the inconsistent recording of indicators within PHC organizations. PHC standardized indicators and public data accessibility are urgently needed, conforming the foundation for an effective European-level health services response framework against future pandemics.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85189873193&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/eurpub/ckad224
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckad224
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C2 - 38326993
AN - SCOPUS:85189873193
SN - 1101-1262
VL - 34
SP - 402
EP - 410
JO - European Journal of Public Health
JF - European Journal of Public Health
IS - 2
ER -
