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

NCT07320053 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: CUALIPRIM
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 26
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 2

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Age 65 and Older; Polypharmacy; Cronic Lung Disease; Mental Disorder

Keywords

Longitudinality.; Qualitative Research; Health Workforce; Professional-Patient Relations; General Practice

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Transversal qualitative exploration

  Individual semi-structured interviews will be conducted. This format allows for flexibility to accommodate participants' needs and preferences regarding the time and location of the interview (for example, in the participant's own home). The interview will begin with an open-ended starter question: "What does it mean to you to always be cared for by the same family doctor?" Based on the potential themes that may emerge from participants' narratives, a set of research questions has been developed and translated into interview prompts to guide the interviewer. These include: Have you noticed any difference in how your health problems are managed when you already know the doctor attending you? Do you think the relationship established with your doctor affects the quality of care you receive? Do you experience any barriers in healthcare when you don't have a regular family doctor? Have you ever withheld a health concern because you didn't know the professional attending you?

  Each patient will be interviewed once, after the loss of their long-term assigned primary care physician. Only baseline information will be collected over a period of less than one year, throughout 2024, until study completion.

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Family Care Units (Unidades de Atención Familiar, UAFs) in which the same family physician was assigned for at least six consecutive months and who have subsequently lacked a regular physician for the past six months. Patients with any criteria of chronicity

You may qualify if:

• 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.

You may not qualify if:

• Being under 18 years old.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• IBS Granada: lead
• Universidad de Granada: collaborator
• La Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria: collaborator

Study Sites (2)

Zaidin Sur Health Centre

Granada, Granada, 18007, Spain

Location

Servicio Andaluz de Salud - IBS

Granada, Spain

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Mental Disorders

Study Officials

• José Herrero Rubí, Medicine

  Servicio Andaluz de Salud - IBS

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: OTHER
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator and Clinical Professor through the "María Castellano" scolarship (https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9183-6980)

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 23, 2025
• First Posted: January 6, 2026
• Study Start: February 10, 2024
• Primary Completion: October 30, 2024
• Study Completion: October 30, 2024
• Last Updated: January 6, 2026

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

ES (2)