Experiences and management strategies of Norwegian GPs during the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal interview study

Abstract

Objective

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Norway, primary health care had to reorganize to ensure safe patient treatment and maintain infection control. General practitioners (GPs) are key health care providers in the municipalities. Our aim was to explore the experiences and management strategies of Norwegian GPs during the COVID-19 pandemic - over time, and in the context of a sudden organizational change.

Design

Longitudinal qualitative interview study with two interview rounds. The first round of interviews was conducted from September–December 2020, the second round from January–April 2021. In the first interview round, we performed eight semi-structured interviews with GPs from eight municipalities in Norway. In the second round, five of the GPs were re-interviewed. Consecutive interviews were performed 2–4 months apart. To analyze the data, we used thematic analysis.

Results

The COVID-19 pandemic required GPs to balance several concerns, such as continuity of care and their own professional efforts. Several GPs experienced challenges in the collaboration with the municipality and in relation to defining their own professional position. Guided by The Norwegian Association of General practitioners, The Norwegian College of General Practice and collegial support, they found viable solutions and ended up with a feeling of having adapted to a new normal.

Conclusions

Although our study demonstrates that the GPs adapted to the changing conditions, the current municipal health care models are not ideal. There is a need for clarification of responsibilities between GPs and the municipality to facilitate a more coordinated future pandemic response.

Key Points

• Facing the COVID-19 pandemic, the primary health care service in Norway had to reorganize to ensure safe patient treatment and maintain infection control.

• Several GPs experienced challenges in collaboration with the municipalities.

• There is a need for clarification of responsibilities between GPs and the municipality.

Keywords:

• COVID-19
• general practice
• organization and management strategies
• practice management
• qualitative research

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the GPs participating in this study. We would also like to thank Sara Sofia Lithén and Benedikte Olsen Michalsen for invaluable help in the study process.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The CovidNor study was funded by the Norwegian Research Council [GRANT number: 312717].