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dc.contributor.authorSigurdsson, Emil Larus
dc.contributor.authorBlondal, Anna Bryndis
dc.contributor.authorJonsson, Jon Steinar
dc.contributor.authorTomasdottir, Margret Olafia
dc.contributor.authorHrafnkelsson, Hannes
dc.contributor.authorLinnet, Kristjan
dc.contributor.authorSigurdsson, Johann Agust
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-13T12:57:34Z
dc.date.available2022-05-13T12:57:34Z
dc.date.created2020-12-25T19:02:52Z
dc.date.issued2020
dc.identifier.citationBMJ Open. 2020, 10 .en_US
dc.identifier.issn2044-6055
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11250/2995666
dc.description.abstractObjective To describe how the primary healthcare (PHC) in Iceland changed its strategy to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Descriptive observational study. Setting Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Population The Reykjavik area has a total of 233 000 inhabitants. Main outcome measures The number and the mode of consultations carried out. Drug prescriptions and changes in the 10 most common diagnoses made in PHC. Laboratory tests including COVID-19 tests. Average numbers in March and April 2020 compared with the same months in 2018 and 2019. Results Pragmatic strategies and new tasks were rapidly applied to the clinical work to meet the foreseen healthcare needs caused by the pandemic. The number of daytime consultations increased by 35% or from 780 to 1051/1000 inhabitants (p<0.001) during the study period. Telephone and web-based consultations increased by 127% (p<0.001). The same tendency was observed in out-of-hours services. The number of consultations in maternity and well-child care decreased only by 4% (p=0.003). Changes were seen in the 10 most common diagnoses. Most noteworthy, apart from a high number of COVID-19 suspected disease, was that immunisation, depression, hypothyroidism and lumbago were not among the top 10 diagnoses during the epidemic period. The number of drug prescriptions increased by 10.3% (from 494 to 545 per 1000 inhabitants, p<0.001). The number of prescriptions from telephone and web-based consultations rose by 55.6%. No changes were observed in antibiotics prescriptions. Conclusions As the first point of contact in the COVID-19 pandemic, the PHC in Iceland managed to change its strategy swiftly while preserving traditional maternity and well-child care, indicating a very solid PHC with substantial flexibility in its organisation.en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherBMJ Publishing Groupen_US
dc.rightsNavngivelse-Ikkekommersiell 4.0 Internasjonal*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/deed.no*
dc.titleHow primary healthcare in Iceland swiftly changed its strategy in response to the COVID-19 pandemicen_US
dc.title.alternativeHow primary healthcare in Iceland swiftly changed its strategy in response to the COVID-19 pandemicen_US
dc.typePeer revieweden_US
dc.typeJournal articleen_US
dc.description.versionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.source.pagenumber7en_US
dc.source.volume10en_US
dc.source.journalBMJ Openen_US
dc.identifier.doi10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043151
dc.identifier.cristin1863215
cristin.ispublishedtrue
cristin.fulltextoriginal
cristin.qualitycode1


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Navngivelse-Ikkekommersiell 4.0 Internasjonal
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Navngivelse-Ikkekommersiell 4.0 Internasjonal