Effect of Longitudinal Care in Primary Health Care: An Analysis From the Patient's Perspective

Effect of Longitudinal Care in Primary Health Care: An Analysis From the Patient's Perspective

Objective To explore and describe the opinions of Primary Health Care chronically ill users regarding being cared for over time by the same reference professional.

To analyze the consequences of workforce instability and the lack of continuity in medical staffing in Primary Health Care centers in Granada.

Design Descriptive observational cross-sectional study using a qualitative methodology. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with users of Primary Health Care centers in Granada.

Setting Primary Health Care in Granada and surrounding rural areas.

Participants Primary Health Care users who attend their Health Centers or Clinics several times a year and have recently experienced a period without a regular family doctor.

Data Collection Tool In-depth interview.

Analysis Qualitative analysis from a phenomenological-ethnographic paradigm.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Belonging to a physician's patient list that has lacked a regular family doctor for at least 3 of the past 6 months.
• The same list must have been cared for by a single family physician for at least 2 consecutive years in the last 10 years.
• Age 75 or older.
• Presence of a chronic condition requiring medical care at least twice a year (e.g., diabetes, chronic non-cancer pain, heart failure, COPD, mental disorders).
• Use of six or more medications.
• Socioeconomic and social vulnerability.
• Dependence and presence of informal caregivers.

Exclusion criteria:

• Being under 18 years old.