General practitioner trainees’ career perspectives after COVID-19: a qualitative study in China

Abstract

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been a worldwide public health emergency that has put great pressure on medical workers and the medical system. General Practitioners (GPs) played an important role in controlling the epidemic, and GP trainees also took an active part in this approach. This study was to explore Chinese GP trainees’ career perspectives after COVID-19. Methods We conducted a qualitative research study which included 12 GP trainees from three teaching hospitals in China. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted. Grounded theory and thematic analysis were used to code the data and identify categories and factors. Results Eleven participants chose to continue a GP career after COVID-19, and nearly half of the participants strengthened their determination to dedicate themselves to this career. Only one participant decided to change the career choice because of interest in another specialty. Four main themes influencing GP trainees’ perceptions of career development after COVID-19 emerged from the interviews: changes of GPs’ work content in COVID-19, challenges of being a GP, psychological changes of the career, how to provide better primary care. Although some negative psychological changes existed, most of participants were inspired by role models and medical colleagues. They had more in-depth understanding of GPs’ role and responsibility during COVID-19, and exhibited intensions for self-improvement in career development, especially in public health education and self-protection in preventing infectious diseases. In addition, the wide use of telemedicine provided a new work way for GP trainees. However, challenges, such as increased workloads, low income, lack of resources in primary medical institutions, and distrust of GPs are faced by trainees during the outbreak. Conclusions Overall, no substantial changes were seen in the career choice of GP trainees after COVID-19 outbreak. However, they were inspired and had an in-depth understanding about the GP’s work and responsibility during an epidemic. Owing to the challenges faced by the GPs, measures are needed to improve the GP education and work environment in the training phase.

GP wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic review

“…Characteristics of the included studies are presented in Supplementary Table S1. Studies were dispersed geographically, with the largest numbers undertaken in Italy 32 , 42 , 46 , 52 and China 35 , 50 , 51 , 59 ( Table 1 ).…”

“…There were 25 cross-sectional surveys, 30 – 33 , 36 – 50 , 52 , 54 , 55 , 57 – 59 five qualitative studies, 34 , 35 , 51 , 53 , 56 and one mixed survey and qualitative study. 29 Several validated and some non-validated measures were used to assess outcomes.…”

“…Ten studies explored physical symptoms -GPs reported migraines and headaches, tiredness and exhaustion, sleep disorders 45,50 and increased eating, drinking and smoking. 44,48,51 More severe insomnia was associated with depressive symptoms in Italian GPs. 52 UK GPs with symptoms of long COVID felt 'let down' and expressed frustration at the lack of support and recognition for the condition.…”

Lived experiences of older adults during the first COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study

“…While a growing body of literature has qualitatively explored the psychological and societal impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, age-specific data, particularly regarding older age, is still lacking [15]. Most studies have addressed the impact of COVID-19 on health-care providers, patients, caregivers and children [20][21][22][23][24][25]. However, most studies were conducted in China with very small samples.…”

The role of European health system characteristics in affecting Covid 19 lethality during the early days of the pandemic

“…In many European countries, GPs were at the forefront of tackling the spread of the virus. They are both gatekeepers and health promoter empowering the community to build a firewall against the deadly virus 29 , 30 . Even in hospital-oriented towards the health services, where the family medicine system is not yet fully implemented (as Wuhan), GPs helped in blocking the viral transmission by monitoring people at designated checkpoints in airports, railway stations and highways where they verified personal information and conducted health checks for travelers, reporting suspected cases to hospitals for urgent follow-up 28 .…”