Screening women for depression and psychosocial risk during the perinatal period is recognised best practice. Screening by current pen and paper methods can be time consuming, and prone to scorer error. The lack of readily available translated versions of screening tools also excludes many women from different cultures.

To evaluate a perinatal mental health digital screening platform, iCOPE. The trial was conducted in a community maternal and child health setting in Melbourne, Australia.

A descriptive, cohort design was used. All women attending the urban clinic were invited to complete their routine perinatal screening on the digital platform, designed to automate score calculations and produce instant clinical and client reports whilst collecting data in real time. Screening included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and psychosocial risk questions in line with current national clinical guidelines. Functionality of iCOPE was assessed according to duration of screening, completion rates, accuracy of reporting and level of engagement by women.

During the trial, 144 screens were performed. The mean screening time was 6.7 min (SD=3.78). Most (65.7% n=94) women took between 3 and 6 min. Mean EPDS score was 7.2 with 16% (n=23) scoring 13 or more. The accuracy of reports was 100% and screening completion rate was 99.3%. Many women (81.3%) requested a copy of their personal report.

The iCOPE platform was efficient in terms of screening time, scoring accuracy, and engagement of women. The automated production of tailored client and clinical reports enabled screening outcomes to be instantly communicated to women and health professionals. The collection of data in real time facilitated the monitoring of screening rates and evaluation of outcomes by clinicians and service managers.

The aim was to explore the extent to which a Danish prevention centre catered to marginalised groups within the catchment area. We determined whether the district’s socio-economic vulnerability status and distance from the citizens’ residential sector to the centre influenced referrals of citizens to the centre, their attendance at initial appointment, and completion of planned activities at the centre.

Disparities in access to health care services is one among many aspects of inequality in health. There are multiple determinants within populations (socio-economic status, ethnicity, and education) as well as the health care systems (resource availability and cultural acceptability).

A total of 347 participants referred to the centre during a 10-month period were included. For each of 44 districts within the catchment area, the degree of socio-economic vulnerability was estimated based on the citizens’ educational level, ethnicity, income, and unemployment rate. A socio-economic vulnerability score (SE-score) was calculated. Logistic regression was used to calculate the probability that a person was referred to the centre, attended the initial appointment, and completed the planned activities, depending on sex, age, SE-score of district of residence, and distance to the centre.

Citizens from locations with a high socio-economic vulnerability had increased probability of being referred by general practitioners, hospitals, and job centres. Citizens living further away from the prevention centre had a reduced probability of being referred by their general practitioners. After referral, there was no difference in probability of attendance or completion as a function of SE-score or distance between the citizens’ district and the centre. In conclusion, the centre is capable of attracting referrals from districts where the need is likely to be relatively high in terms of socio-economic vulnerability, whereas distance reduced the probability of referral. No differences were found in attendance or completion.

The aim of this study is to investigate factors contributing to the failure of a randomized clinical trial designed to implement and test clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of depression in primary health care (PHC).

Although the occurrence of depression is increasing globally, many patients with depression do not receive optimal treatment. Clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of depression, which aim to establish evidence-based clinical practice in health care, are often underused and in need of operationalization in and adaptation to clinical praxis. This study explores a failed clinical trial designed to implement and test treatment of depression in PHC in Sweden.

Qualitative case study methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants from the clinical trial researcher group and 11 health care professionals at five PHC units. Additionally, archival data (ie, documents, email correspondence, reports on the clinical trial) from the years 2007–2010 were analysed.

The study identified barriers to the implementation of the clinical trial in the project characteristics, the medical professionals, the patients, and the social network, as well as in the organizational, economic and political context. The project increased staff workload and created tension as the PHC culture and the research activities clashed (eg, because of the systematic use of questionnaires and changes in scheduling and planning of patient visits). Furthermore, there was a perception that the PHC units’ management did not sufficiently support the project and that the project lacked basic incentives for reaching a sustainable resolution. Despite efforts by the project managers to enhance and support implementation of the innovation, they were unable to overcome these barriers. The study illustrates the complexity and barriers of performing clinical trials in the PHC.

Aim of the present study was to assess the knowledge of the potential role of nurses in the primary care setting and to analyse the attitudes towards their utilization by nurses and General Practitioners (GPs) in a region of Italy.

Nowadays, in Italy, the role of the nurse in primary care is still under-recognized and most primary care medical offices are managed individually by a physician.

The study consists of a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey carried out in Piedmont, Italy, between February and September 2015.

We included 105 participants, 57 nurses and 48 physicians. The presence of a nurse working together with the GP was defined as ‘useful’ by 54.4% of nurses (versus 60.4% of physicians), as ‘essential’ by 45.6% of nurses (versus 25.0% of physicians), as ‘marginal’ by no nurses (versus 14.6% of physicians) and as ‘unimportant’ by none (P=0.002). Thus, physicians seemed to be less favorable towards a full collaboration and power-sharing with nurses. Furthermore, GPs and nurses showed a different attitude towards the role of nurses in primary care: while nurses highlighted their clinical value, physicians tended rather to recognize them a ‘supportive’ role. Moreover, only 20.8% of the physicians interviewed stated that they worked with a nurse. At the multivariate analysis, the age class resulted to be a significant predictor of the perception that the presence of a nurse working with the GP is essential: participants >50 years had an OR of 0.03 (P=0.028). Although the primary care organization appears still largely based on a traditional physician-centric care model, the positive attitude of nurses and young GPs towards a more collaborative model of primary care might represent a promising starting point.

To gauge the level of preparedness of health system of Pakistan in the wake of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

The global COVID-19 outbreak and its subsequent repercussions and implications, after being declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), exposed all the inherent, lingering, and acute shortcomings of the health systems in many developing countries and Pakistan was no exception.

A detailed literature review was done which included peer-reviewed articles on COVID-19 and health system, published in local and international journals, WHO and World Bank’s publications, and the documents and official reports of the government. Focus was to glean and cite strategies adopted by the developing countries in response to COVID-19 and to see the applicability of those which are feasible for Pakistan.

Level of preparedness was minimal and the response to manage the outbreak was weak. Based on toll of the cases and number of deaths, this public health threat turned out to be a catastrophe beyond the controlling authority and capacity of the health system, and hence other sectors and agencies had to be engaged for devising a concerted and integrated response to deal with the emergency. Governance was disorderly, financing was inadequate, human resources were not trained, supplies and logistic were not stocked, information system was patchy, and research capacity was limited, and most of all the service delivery was in a biggest chaos of times. COVID-19 demanded to re-configure the health system of Pakistan.

Improving the emergency preparedness of the hospitals is the foremost and an urgent need. A strong national public health system in Pakistan is needed to rapidly investigate and analyze the reports, assess the magnitude of the public health risk, share real-time information, and implement public health control measures in a concerted and systematic demeanor.

This paper aims to explore and analyse mental healthcare staff's (MHCS) knowledge and experiences of diabetes care for persons with psychosis.

There are a range of studies concerning the increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among persons with psychosis, and the need for healthy lifestyle interventions to prevent the illness. MHCS are often trusted and have regular follow-ups with the patients, and their attitudes and actions often play an important role for the person's care behaviour. There is still little documentation of their experiences of diabetes care.

A qualitative, explorative design was used, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with 12 MHCS working in psychosis outpatient care in Sweden. Data were analysed with qualitative content analysis.

Three categories emerged and provide a deeper understanding of how staff were aware of the risks of type 2 diabetes among their patients and therefore performed lifestyle interventions to promote these. Nevertheless, they lacked knowledge of diabetes care and simultaneously felt a lack of training among diabetes nurses to adapt diabetes care to suit persons with cognitive dysfunctions. Patients who were overconfident in their ability to manage diabetes care reported to have experienced most difficulties. Cooperation among those involved in these persons’ health was considered necessary.

Diabetes care for persons with psychosis could improve if knowledge of type 2 diabetes was increased among MHCS and training in how to adapt diabetes care to persons with cognitive dysfunctions was enlarged among diabetes nurses. A challenge for nurses is to see how the care of different illnesses and support given by the family and others affect the persons total life situation and health. Healthcare plans and cooperation among all those involved in these persons’ health is necessary for this.

Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cause of cancer-related death in the UK amongst women. Ovarian cancer presents particular challenges for general practitioners (GPs) to diagnose due to its rarity and presentation with non-specific symptoms.

A narrative overview of the literature was conducted by searching PubMed and Researchgate for relevant articles, using keywords such as “ovarian cancer,” “primary care” and “diagnosis.”

Studies have shown that in the UK, GPs have a lower readiness to refer and investigate potential cancer symptoms compared with their international counterparts; and this has been correlated with reduced survival. Early diagnosis can be facilitated through a people-focussed and system-based approach which involves both educating GPs and using risk algorithms, rapid diagnostic centres/multi-disciplinary centres and being data-driven through the identification of best practice from national audits. Further research is required into the best evidence-based early investigations for ovarian cancer and more effective biomarkers.

To examine assumptions about public–private partnership (PPP) activities and their role in improving public procurement of primary healthcare surgeries.

PPPs were developed to improve the quality of care and patient satisfaction. However, evidence of their effectiveness in delivering health benefits is limited.

A qualitative study design was employed. A total of 25 interviews with public sector staff (n=23) and private sector managers (n=2) were conducted to understand their interpretations of assumptions in the activities of private investors and service contractors participating in Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) partnerships. Realist evaluation principles were applied in the data analysis to interpret the findings.

Six thematic areas of assumed health benefits were identified: (i) quality improvement; (ii) improved risk management; (iii) reduced procurement costs; (iv) increased efficiency; (v) community involvement; and (vi) sustainable investment. Primary Care Trusts that chose to procure their surgeries through LIFT were expected to support its implementation by providing an environment conducive for the private participants to achieve these benefits. Private participant activities were found to be based on a range of explicit and tacit assumptions perceived helpful in achieving government objectives for LIFT.

The success of PPPs depended upon private participants’ (i) capacity to assess how PPP assumptions added value to their activities, (ii) effectiveness in interpreting assumptions in their expected activities, and (iii) preparedness to align their business principles to government objectives for PPPs. They risked missing some of the expected benefits because of some factors constraining realization of the assumptions. The ways in which private participants preferred to carry out their activities also influenced the extent to which expected benefits were achieved. Giving more discretion to public than private participants over critical decisions may help in ensuring that assumptions in PPP activities result in outcomes that match the anticipated health benefits.

Investigate the feasibility of identifying a well-defined treatment group and a comparable reference group in clinical register data.

There is insufficient knowledge on how to avert neck/back pain from turning chronic or to impair work ability. The Swedish Government implemented a national multimodal rehabilitation (MMR) programme in primary care intending to promote work ability, reduce sick leave and increase return to work. Since randomised control trial data for effect is lacking, it is important to evaluate existing observational data from clinical settings.

We identified all unique patients with musculoskeletal pain (MSP) diagnoses undergoing the MMR programme in primary care in the Skåne Health care Register (n = 2140) during 2010–2011. A reference cohort in primary care (n = 56 300) with similar MSP diagnoses, same ages and the same level of sick leave before baseline was identified for the same period. The reference cohort received ordinary care and treatment in primary care. The final study group consisted of 603 eligible MMR patients and 2874 eligible reference patients. Socio-economic and health-related baseline data including sick leave one year before up to two years after baseline were compared between groups.

There were significant socio-economic and health differences at baseline between the MMR and the reference patients, with the MMR group having lower income, higher morbidity and more sick leave days. Sick leave days per year decreased significantly in the MMR group (118–102 days, P < 0.001) and in the reference group (50–42 days, P < 0.001) from one year before baseline to two years after.

It was not feasible to identify a comparable reference group based on clinical register data. Despite an ambitious attempt to limit selection bias, significant baseline differences in socio-economic and health were present. In absence of randomised trials, effects of MMR cannot be sufficiently evaluated in primary care.

To describe general practitioners’ (GPs’) knowledge and the development of their knowledge regarding leg ulcer treatment when treating patients with leg ulceration at primary healthcare centers.

Earlier research regarding GPs’ knowledge of leg ulcer treatment in a primary healthcare context has focused primarily on the assessment of wounds and knowledge of wound care products. Less is known about GPs’ understandings of their own knowledge and knowledge development regarding leg ulceration in the everyday clinical context. This study, therefore, sets out to highlight these aspects from the GPs’ perspective.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 individual GPs working at both private and county council run healthcare centers. The data were analyzed inductively using a thematic analysis.

Four themes were identified. ‘Education and training’ describe the GPs’ views regarding their knowledge and knowledge development in relation to leg ulcer treatment. ‘Experience’ refers to GPs’ thoughts about the importance of clinical experience when treating leg ulcers. ‘Prioritization’ describes the issues GPs raised around managing the different knowledge areas in their clinical work. ‘Time constraints’ explore the relationship between GPs’ sense of time pressure and their opportunities to participate in professional development courses.

The study shows that the GPs working in primary healthcare are aware of the need for ongoing competence development concerning leg ulceration. They describe their current knowledge of leg ulcer treatment as insufficient and point to the lack of relevant courses that are adapted for their level of knowledge and the limited opportunities for clinical training.

To describe activities and outcomes of a cross-team capacity building strategy that took place over a five-year funding period within the broader context of 12 community-based primary health care (CBPHC) teams.

In 2013, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded 12 CBPHC Teams (12-Teams) to conduct innovative cross-jurisdictional research to improve the delivery of high-quality CBPHC to Canadians. This signature initiative also aimed to enhance CBPHC research capacity among an interdisciplinary group of trainees, facilitated by a collaboration between a capacity building committee led by senior researchers and a trainee-led working group.

After the committee and working group were established, capacity building activities were organized based on needs and interests identified by trainees of the CBPHC Teams. This paper presents a summary of the activities accomplished, as well as the outcomes reported through an online semistructured survey completed by the trainees toward the end of the five-year funding period. This survey was designed to capture the capacity building and mentorship activities that trainees either had experienced or would like to experience in the future. Descriptive and thematic analyses were conducted based on survey responses, and these findings were compared with the existing core competencies in the literature.

Since 2013, nine webinars and three online workshops were hosted by trainees and senior researchers, respectively. Many of the CBPHC Teams provided exposure for trainees to innovative methods, CBPHC content, and showcased trainee research. A total of 27 trainees from 10 of the 12-Teams responded to the survey (41.5%). Trainees identified key areas of benefit from their involvement in this initiative: skills training, networking opportunities, and academic productivity. Trainees identified gaps in research and professional skill development, indicating areas for further improvement in capacity building programs, particularly for trainees to play a more active role in their education and preparation.

To explore the lived experience of delivering or receiving news about an unborn or newborn child having a condition associated with a learning disability in order to inform the development of a training intervention for healthcare professionals. We refer to this news as different news.

How healthcare professionals deliver different news to parents affects the way they adjust to the situation, the wellbeing of their child and their ongoing engagement with services. This is the first study that examined the lived experience of delivering and receiving different news, in order to inform the development of training for healthcare professionals using the Theoretical Domains Framework version 2.

We conducted qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of 9 different parents with the lived experience of receiving different news and 12 healthcare professionals who delivered different news. It was through these descriptions of the lived experience that barriers and facilitators to effectively delivering different news were identified to inform the training programme. Data analysis was guided by Theoretical Domains Framework version 2 to identify these barriers and facilitators as well as the content of a training intervention.

Receiving different news had a significant impact on parents’ emotional and mental wellbeing. They remembered how professionals described their child, the quality of care and emotional support they received. The process had a significant impact on the parent–child relationship and the relationship between the family and healthcare professionals.

Delivering different news was challenging for some healthcare professionals due to lack of training. Future training informed by parents’ experiences should equip professionals to demonstrate empathy, compassion, provide a balanced description of conditions and make referrals for further care and support. This can minimise the negative psychological impact of the news, maximise psychological wellbeing of families and reduce the burden on primary care services.