German GPs' Self-Perceived Role in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Leadership, Participation in Regional Services and Preferences for Future Pandemic Preparedness

Simon Kugai; Dorothea Wild; Yelda Krumpholtz; Manuela Schmidt; Katrin Balzer; Astrid Mayerböck; Birgitta Weltermann

doi:10.3390/ijerph20126088

German GPs' Self-Perceived Role in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Leadership, Participation in Regional Services and Preferences for Future Pandemic Preparedness

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jun 9;20(12):6088. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20126088.

Authors

Simon Kugai¹, Dorothea Wild¹, Yelda Krumpholtz¹, Manuela Schmidt¹, Katrin Balzer², Astrid Mayerböck³, Birgitta Weltermann¹

Affiliations

¹ Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
² Nursing Research Unit, Institute for Social Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Lübeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Luebeck, Germany.
³ uzbonn, Survey Center Bonn-Center for Empirical Social Research and Evaluation, Oxfordstraße 15, 53111 Bonn, Germany.

Abstract

General practitioners (GPs) played a vital role during the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about GPs' view of their role, leadership, participation in regional services and preferences for future pandemic preparedness. This representative study of German GPs comprised a web-based survey and computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). It addressed GPs' satisfaction with their role, self-perceived leadership (validated C-LEAD scale), participation in newly established health services, and preferences for future pandemic preparedness (net promotor score; NPS; range -100 to +100%). Statistical analyses were conducted using Spearman's correlation and Kruskal-Wallis tests. In total, 630 GPs completed the questionnaire and 102 GPs the CATI. In addition to their practice duties, most GPs (72.5%) participated in at least one regional health service, mainly vaccination centres/teams (52.7%). Self-perceived leadership was high with a C-LEAD score of 47.4 (max. 63; SD ± 8.5). Overall, 58.8% were not satisfied with their role which correlated with the feeling of being left alone (r = -0.349, p < 0.001). 77.5 % of respondents believed that political leaders underestimated GPs' potential contribution to pandemic control. Regarding regional pandemic services, GPs preferred COVID-19 focus practices (NPS +43.7) over diagnostic centres (NPS -31). Many GPs, though highly engaged regionally, were dissatisfied with their role but had clear preferences for future regional services. Future pandemic planning should integrate GPs' perspectives.

Keywords: COVID-19; general practitioners; healthcare services; leadership; nationwide survey; pandemic preparedness; regional healthcare.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Attitude of Health Personnel
COVID-19* / epidemiology
General Practitioners*
Health Services
Humans
Leadership
Pandemics

Grants and funding

This study is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (grant number: 01KX2021). The funder had no role in the study design, the data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, or the preparation of the manuscript. Furthermore, publication was supported by the Open Access Publication Fund of the University of Bonn.