Abstract
Introduction: During the COVID19 pandemic, General Practitioners (GPs) did not have institutional protocols and some visited patients at home, even in the absence of personal safety devices, putting their lives at risk. Restricting access to clinics and using telephone monitoring procedures in managing dozens of people with poor symptoms was vital. This research explored the physician and patient experience of changing care during the pandemic.
Materials and methods: qualitative research with a phenomenological approach through narrative interviews addressed to 25 GPs and 25 ASLTO3 patients analyzed with Conventional Content Analysis.
Results: both doctors and patients suffered from the change in care practice; especially for GPs, the telephone did not allow "The contact of the physical examination" resulting in "Difficulty in making clinical decisions". This situation, while arousing negative emotions, has generated a “New solidarity both with patients and with colleagues”. The awareness of the lack of tools and of a communication portal with the SISP emerged. Many doctors have developed resilience strategies but some have failed to "break away from work".
Patients understood the change in practice, but some felt abandoned when effective communication was not used; the uncertainty aroused various emotions, basic was the support of the loved ones and the doctor.
Conclusions: GPs and patients reported great difficulties and demonstrated good resilience; there is a high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.