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Background The canton of Vaud’s public health authorities, in Switzerland, invited general practitioners (GPs) to participate in managing suspected COVID-19 patients and continue caring for their non-COVID-19 patients. However, this course of action was not mandatory. The present study’s objective was to describe and understand how involved GPs were in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic’s first wave. Methods This mixed-methods study combined a retrospective quantitative survey and a qualitative explanatory investigation. All of the canton’s GPs were invited to participate in the quantitative survey via an online questionnaire including sections on: specific organization regarding COVID-19 activities and suspected COVID-19 patients, activities relating to non-COVID-19 patients, consequences on the practice’s professional staff, and opinions about the public health authorities’ pandemic crisis management. The qualitative investigation involved interviews with 10 volunteer GPs. Results The participation rate was 41%. One third of GPs chose not to reorganize their practice for the specific management of suspected COVID-19 patients. The number of weekly activities and interventions decreased by over 50% at 44% of practices, mostly due to a lack of patients. Even in an extraordinary crisis, GPs maintained their choice of whether to become involved, as their private and independent status allowed them to do. However, those who chose to be involved felt frustrated that the public health authorities did not recognize them as major health providers in the management of the pandemic. Conclusion This study illustrated the complexity and limitations of a primary care system based completely on private healthcare providers.

The role of general practitioners in managing the COVID-19 pandemic in a private healthcare system