“Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information
IntroductionProviding family physicians (FPs) with the information they need is crucial for their participation in a coordinated pandemic or health emergency response, and to allow them to effectively run their practices. Most pandemic planning documents do not address communication plans specific t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Communication |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1186678/full |
| _version_ | 1797648596111196160 |
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| author | Gillian Young Maria Mathews Lindsay Hedden Julia Lukewich Emily Gard Marshall Paul Gill Madeleine McKay Dana Ryan Dana Ryan Sarah Spencer Richard Buote Leslie Meredith Lauren Moritz Judith B. Brown Erin Christian Eric Wong Eric Wong Eric Wong |
| author_facet | Gillian Young Maria Mathews Lindsay Hedden Julia Lukewich Emily Gard Marshall Paul Gill Madeleine McKay Dana Ryan Dana Ryan Sarah Spencer Richard Buote Leslie Meredith Lauren Moritz Judith B. Brown Erin Christian Eric Wong Eric Wong Eric Wong |
| author_sort | Gillian Young |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionProviding family physicians (FPs) with the information they need is crucial for their participation in a coordinated pandemic or health emergency response, and to allow them to effectively run their practices. Most pandemic planning documents do not address communication plans specific to FPs. This study describes FPs' experiences and challenges with information management during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with FPs across four Canadian regions and asked about their roles during different pandemic stages, as well as facilitators and barriers they experienced in performing these roles. We transcribed the interviews, used a thematic analysis approach to develop a unified coding template across the four regions, and identified recurring themes.ResultsWe interviewed 68 FPs and identified two key themes specifically related to communication. The first is FPs' experiences obtaining and managing information during the COVID-19 pandemic. FPs were overwhelmed by the volume of information and had difficulty applying the information to their practices. The second is the specific attributes FPs need from the information sent to them. Participants wanted summarized and consistent information from credible sources that are relevant to primary care.DiscussionProviding clear, collated, and relevant information to FPs is essential during pandemics and other health emergencies. Future pandemic plans should integrate strategies to deliver information to FPs that is tailored to primary care. Findings highlight the need for a coordinated communication strategy to effectively inform FPs in health emergencies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:34:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93c7985082db438bb4b5c5b2f71f1e25 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2297-900X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:34:15Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Communication |
| spelling | doaj.art-93c7985082db438bb4b5c5b2f71f1e252023-10-26T23:54:13ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Communication2297-900X2023-10-01810.3389/fcomm.2023.11866781186678“Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related informationGillian Young0Maria Mathews1Lindsay Hedden2Julia Lukewich3Emily Gard Marshall4Paul Gill5Madeleine McKay6Dana Ryan7Dana Ryan8Sarah Spencer9Richard Buote10Leslie Meredith11Lauren Moritz12Judith B. Brown13Erin Christian14Eric Wong15Eric Wong16Eric Wong17Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CanadaFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine Primary Care Research Unit, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaDoctors Nova Scotia, Dartmouth, NS, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaFaculty of Nursing, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, CanadaFaculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine Primary Care Research Unit, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine Primary Care Research Unit, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaNova Scotia Health, Halifax, NS, CanadaDepartment of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, ON, CanadaThames Valley Family Health Team, London, ON, CanadaSt. Joseph's Health Care London, Family Medical Centre, London, ON, CanadaIntroductionProviding family physicians (FPs) with the information they need is crucial for their participation in a coordinated pandemic or health emergency response, and to allow them to effectively run their practices. Most pandemic planning documents do not address communication plans specific to FPs. This study describes FPs' experiences and challenges with information management during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.MethodsWe conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with FPs across four Canadian regions and asked about their roles during different pandemic stages, as well as facilitators and barriers they experienced in performing these roles. We transcribed the interviews, used a thematic analysis approach to develop a unified coding template across the four regions, and identified recurring themes.ResultsWe interviewed 68 FPs and identified two key themes specifically related to communication. The first is FPs' experiences obtaining and managing information during the COVID-19 pandemic. FPs were overwhelmed by the volume of information and had difficulty applying the information to their practices. The second is the specific attributes FPs need from the information sent to them. Participants wanted summarized and consistent information from credible sources that are relevant to primary care.DiscussionProviding clear, collated, and relevant information to FPs is essential during pandemics and other health emergencies. Future pandemic plans should integrate strategies to deliver information to FPs that is tailored to primary care. Findings highlight the need for a coordinated communication strategy to effectively inform FPs in health emergencies.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1186678/fullinformation managementcommunicationprimary carefamily physicianpandemic responseCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Gillian Young Maria Mathews Lindsay Hedden Julia Lukewich Emily Gard Marshall Paul Gill Madeleine McKay Dana Ryan Dana Ryan Sarah Spencer Richard Buote Leslie Meredith Lauren Moritz Judith B. Brown Erin Christian Eric Wong Eric Wong Eric Wong “Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information Frontiers in Communication information management communication primary care family physician pandemic response COVID-19 |
| title | “Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information |
| title_full | “Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information |
| title_fullStr | “Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information |
| title_short | “Swamped with information”: a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information |
| title_sort | swamped with information a qualitative study of family physicians experiences of managing and applying pandemic related information |
| topic | information management communication primary care family physician pandemic response COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcomm.2023.1186678/full |
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