BMJ Open (Feb 2021)
General practitioners’ views and experiences in caring for patients after sepsis: a qualitative interview study
- Christoph Heintze,
- Katrina M Turner,
- Sabine Gehrke-Beck,
- Jochen Gensichen,
- Konrad FR Schmidt,
- M Baenfer,
- LM Baldwin,
- C Berhold,
- M Beuthling,
- A Bindara-Klippel,
- FM Brunkhorst,
- M Corea,
- D Davydov,
- L Eckholdt,
- F Eissler,
- Ch Engel,
- A Freytag,
- A Geist,
- H Gerlach,
- A Goldmann,
- J Graf,
- F Hamzei,
- M Hartmann,
- M Hesse,
- K Huelle,
- U Jakobi,
- S Kerth,
- D Keh,
- F Klefisch,
- R Kuehnemund,
- H Kuhnsch,
- Th Lehmann,
- J Lehmke,
- P Lehmkuhl,
- A Meier-Hellmann,
- J Muehlberg,
- F Mueller,
- F Oehmichen,
- G Ollenschlaeger,
- M Oppert,
- M Pohl,
- Z Puthucheary,
- S Rademacher,
- L Reil,
- K Reinhart,
- A Sablotzki,
- M Schelle,
- G Schelling,
- A Scherag,
- N Schilling,
- N Schneider,
- T Schreiber,
- D Schwarzkopf,
- C Spies,
- P Thiel,
- G Tiedemann,
- L Toepfer,
- S Toussaint,
- M Wensing,
- S Worrack,
- M von Korff,
- C Fleischmann-Struzek,
- M Böde
Affiliations
- Christoph Heintze
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Charite University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Katrina M Turner
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, Bristol, UK
- Sabine Gehrke-Beck
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Charite University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Jochen Gensichen
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munich, Munich, Germany
- Konrad FR Schmidt
- Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, Charite University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- M Baenfer
- LM Baldwin
- C Berhold
- M Beuthling
- A Bindara-Klippel
- FM Brunkhorst
- M Corea
- D Davydov
- L Eckholdt
- F Eissler
- Ch Engel
- A Freytag
- A Geist
- H Gerlach
- A Goldmann
- J Graf
- [email protected]
- F Hamzei
- M Hartmann
- Department of Dermatology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- M Hesse
- Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Abteilung wuer Zellbiochemie, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Germany
- K Huelle
- U Jakobi
- S Kerth
- D Keh
- F Klefisch
- R Kuehnemund
- H Kuhnsch
- Th Lehmann
- J Lehmke
- P Lehmkuhl
- Sektion Rheumatologie und Klinische Immunologie, Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik IV, Universität München, Munich, Germany
- A Meier-Hellmann
- J Muehlberg
- F Mueller
- F Oehmichen
- G Ollenschlaeger
- Agency for Quality in Medicine (AQuMed), Berlin, Germany
- M Oppert
- M Pohl
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, University Medical Centre Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Z Puthucheary
- 4Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, University Medicine Cluster, National University Health Systems, Singapore
- S Rademacher
- L Reil
- K Reinhart
- 1Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Thueringen, Germany
- A Sablotzki
- M Schelle
- G Schelling
- A Scherag
- 2Center for Sepsis Control and Care, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
- N Schilling
- N Schneider
- 2Hannover Medical School, Institute for General Practice, Hannover, Germany
- T Schreiber
- D Schwarzkopf
- 2Center for Sepsis Control and Care, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Thueringen, Germany
- C Spies
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Charité-Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- P Thiel
- G Tiedemann
- L Toepfer
- S Toussaint
- M Wensing
- Centre for Quality of Care Research, University of Nijmegen, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- S Worrack
- M von Korff
- C Fleischmann-Struzek
- M Böde
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040533
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 11,
no. 2
Abstract
Background Patients surviving critical illnesses, such as sepsis, often suffer from long-term complications. After discharge from hospital, most patients are treated in primary care. Little is known how general practitioners (GPs) perform critical illness aftercare and how it can be improved. Within a randomised controlled trial, an outreach training programme has been developed and applied.Objectives The aim of this study is to describe GPs’ views and experiences of caring for postsepsis patients and of participating a specific outreach training.Design Semistructured qualitative interviews.Setting 14 primary care practices in the metropolitan area of Berlin, Germany.Participants 14 GPs who had participated in a structured sepsis aftercare programme in primary care.Results Themes identified in sepsis aftercare were: continuity of care and good relationship with patients, GP’s experiences during their patient’s critical illness and impact of persisting symptoms. An outreach education as part of the intervention was considered by the GPs to be acceptable, helpful to improve knowledge of the management of postintensive care complications and useful for sepsis aftercare in daily practice.Conclusions GPs provide continuity of care to patients surviving sepsis. Better communication at the intensive care unit–GP interface and training in management of long-term complications of sepsis may be helpful to improve sepsis aftercare.Trial registration number ISRCTN61744782.