Dalgarno, E., McDermott, I., Goff, M. et al. (6 more authors) (2023) The patient experience of skill mix changes in primary care: an in-depth study of patient ‘work’ when accessing primary care. Journal of Public Health, 45 (Supplement 1). i54-i62. ISSN 1741-3842
Abstract
Background
This paper presents insights into patient experiences of changes in workforce composition due to increasing deployment in general practice of practitioners from a number of different professional disciplines (skill mix). We explore these experiences via the concept of 'patient illness work'; how a patient’s capacity for action is linked to the work arising from healthcare.
Methods
We conducted four focus group interviews with Patient Participation Group (PPG) members across participating English GP practices. Thematic analysis and a theoretical lens of illness work was used to explore patients’ attempts to understand and navigate new structures, roles and ways to access healthcare.
Results
Participants’ lack of knowledge about incoming practitioners constrained their agency in accessing primary care. They reported both increased and burdensome illness work as they were given responsibility for navigating and understanding new systems of access while simultaneously understanding new practitioner roles.
Conclusions
While skill mix changes were not resisted by patients, they were keen to improve their agency in capacity to access, by being better informed about newer practitioners to accept and trust them. Some patients require support to navigate change, especially where new systems demand specific capacities such as technological skills and adaptation to unfamiliar practitioners.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | Health services; Older people; Primary care |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Management School (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number NIHR Evaluation Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre NIHRDH-HS&DR/17/08/25 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 14 Sep 2023 14:40 |
Last Modified: | 03 Jan 2024 14:36 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/pubmed/fdad203 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:203331 |