Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Primary Care
Published in: BMC Primary Care 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research article

At the dawn of delegation? Experiences and attitudes of general practitioners in Germany – a questionnaire survey

Authors: Katja Goetz, Anna Kornitzky, Janis Mahnkopf, Jost Steinhäuser

Published in: BMC Primary Care | Issue 1/2017

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

In the future, ‘delegation’ as task shifting from general practitioners (GPs) to non-physicians will be important in primary care. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the attitudes towards the concept of task shifting and to identify predictors of a positive attitude towards task shifting from the perspective of GPs.

Methods

This cross-sectional questionnaire study analysed attitudes towards the concept of task shifting and delegated tasks from the perspective of GPs who were recruited in the German federal state of Schleswig-Holstein. Descriptive statistics and binary regression analyses were computed to identify potential predictors of a positive attitude towards task shifting.

Results

Out of 1538 questionnaires distributed, 577 GP questionnaires were returned (response rate: 37.5%). A total of 53.2% of the respondents were male, and 37.3% were female. A positive attitude regarding task shifting was shown by 49% of the participating GPs. The highest level of agreement (95.2%) was found for time savings with task shifting, and a lower agreement (39%) was found regarding the lack of clarity concerning the responsibilities and legal aspects with regards to task shifting. The most frequently delegated tasks were recording electrocardiograms and measuring blood glucose levels. A positive attitude towards task shifting was positively associated with higher job satisfaction and a need for qualified staff.

Conclusion

Our sample of GPs for this study was very open-minded towards the concept of task shifting. Germany is just beginning this delegation, but the implementation of task shifting depends on different aspects, such as legal requirements, adequate payment and qualified staff. Finally, there is a need for continuing professional development in primary care teams, especially for non-clinical practice staff.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
Freund T, Everett C, Griffiths P, Hudon C, Naccarella L, Laurant M. Skill mix, roles and remuneration in the primary care workforce: who are the healthcare professionals in the primary care teams across the world? Int J Nurs Stud. 2015;52:727–43.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Martínez-González NA, Rosemann T, Djalali S, Huber-Geismann F, Tandjung R. Task-shifting from physicians to nurses in primary care and its impact on resource utilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Med Care Res Rev. 2015;72:395–418.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Ruppel T, van den Berg N, Hoffmann W. [Legal Analysis of the Implementation Rules of Delegation of Home Visits by Family Doctors to Non-Physician Health Professionals: Is the Implementation in Accordance with the Intention of the Law?] Gesundheitswesen 2016; 78: 622–7. [Article in German].
5.
van den Berg N, Heymann R, Meinke C, Baumeister S, Fleßa S, Hoffmann W. Effect of the delegation of GP-home visits on the development of the number of patients in an ambulatory healthcare centre in Germany. BMC Health Serv Res. 2012;12:355.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
6.
Mergenthal K, Beyer M, Gerlach FM, Guethlin C. Sharing responsibilities within the general practice team – a cross-sectional study of task delegation in Germany. PLoS One. 2016;11:e0157248.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
7.
van den Berg N, Meinke C, Heymann R, et al. AGnES: supporting general practitioners with qualified medical practice personnel - model project evaluation regarding quality and acceptance. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2009;106:3–9.PubMedPubMedCentral
8.
Dini L, Sarganas G, Boostrom E, Ogawa S, Heintze C, Braun V, German GP. Willingness to expand roles of physician assistants: a regional survey of perceptions and informal practices influencing uptake of health reforms in primary health care. Fam Pract. 2012;29:448–54.CrossRefPubMed
9.
Ghorob A, Bodenheimer T. Building teams in primary care: a practical guide. Fam Syst Health. 2015;33:182–92.CrossRefPubMed
10.
11.
Von Elm E, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gotzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP. The strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:573–7.CrossRefPubMed
12.
13.
14.
Koro-Ljungberg M, Douglas EP, McNeill N. Re-conceptualizing and de-centering think-aloud methodology in qualitative research. Qual Res. 2013;13:735–53.CrossRef
15.
16.
Goetz K, Jossen M, Szecsenyi J, Rosemann T, Hahn K, Hess S. Job satisfaction of primary care physicians in Switzerland - an observational study. Fam Pract. 2016;33:498–503.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Goetz K, Campbell S, Steinhaeuser J, Broge B, Willms S, Szecsenyi J. Evaluation of job satisfaction of practice staff and general practitioners. An exploratory study. BMC Fam Pract. 2011;12:137.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
18.
Metadata
Title
At the dawn of delegation? Experiences and attitudes of general practitioners in Germany – a questionnaire survey
Authors
Katja Goetz
Anna Kornitzky
Janis Mahnkopf
Jost Steinhäuser
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Primary Care / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 2731-4553
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-017-0697-y

Other articles of this Issue 1/2017

BMC Primary Care 1/2017 Go to the issue

Research article

Effect of audit and feedback with peer review on general practitioners’ prescribing and test ordering performance: a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Research article

Patients’ anticipated actions following transient ischaemic attack symptoms: a qualitative vignette-based study

Research article

Effectiveness of a motivational intervention on overweight/obese patients in the primary healthcare: a cluster randomized trial

Research article

Self-treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease requires more than symptom recognition – a qualitative study of COPD patients’ perspectives on self-treatment

Research article

How general practitioners perceive and assess self-care in patients with multiple chronic conditions: a qualitative study

Research article

Implementation of cardiovascular disease prevention in primary health care: enhancing understanding using normalisation process theory