Recommendations
As Ontario passes the first peak of COVID-19, it is now necessary to reflect on lessons learned in order to best prepare for any subsequent waves, as well as for future pandemics.
Based on the discussed roles of primary care in a pandemic, and the related barriers, several recommendations can be made:
Prioritize primary care in PPE provision
Improve access and use of data generated from primary care for syndromic surveillance
Include primary care representatives on pandemic planning and response committees in all healthcare sectors and formulate primary care specific pandemic plans for each community
Creation of clinical care pathways and guidelines to support family physicians in providing care for higher acuity illness in the community
Governmental investment in technology in primary care to improve quality of virtual care
Consider creation of community-based clinics for triage and treatment
Expansion of home-based care by primary physicians
Timely and open avenues of communication between public health organizations and primary care, with clear messages for physicians to give to patients
Lastly, though this review found several useful commentaries, guidelines and qualitative studies, evidence of how primary care can best respond to a pandemic is limited overall. COVID-19 presents an opportunity for further research on this area.