Desire Lines of Primary Care

Based on C19 Survey Data

With great appreciation to the the Nova Institute.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we conducted regular surveys of clinicians and patients to learn about primary care’s response and capacity during the pandemic. Desire Lines uses this survey data. Learn about both projects below.

Desire Lines of Primary Care (Covid-19 Survey Data)

Purpose

To assess practice and professionalism from the perspective of clinicians and patients pressure-tested in their experiences of delivering and receiving care during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Approach

This study used a series of 54 clinician surveys and 14 patient surveys, with both structured and open-ended questions, to assess experiences within primary care settings during the pandemic. Surveys used learning cycles that included: fielding, collection, analysis, dissemination, and adjustment to survey instrument for the following fielding. This study examined the positive and negative consequences of digital health on patient safety and access to care across varied settings, and the interaction of digital health with relationships between primary care patients and primary care teams.

Why it matters

The COVID-19 pandemic was a stress test on health care systems around the world. The size, scope, and speed of the pandemic created an imperative for rapid dissemination of data and findings which necessitated we create new methods to meet that need. The response of primary care to COVID-19 was a large-scale natural experiment of the capacity of primary care to meet the majority of people’s needs. This survey was used to inform policy and practice as early as June 2020.

Quick COVID-19 Primary Care Survey

About

Purpose

To examine the responses, challenges, and capacity of primary care practices to evaluate their resilience and adaptive decision-making during the pandemic.

Approach

A mixed methods learning evaluation that fielded regular online surveys to primary care clinicians and patients, March 2020-2022, with anniversary surveys in March 2023 and March 2024. Survey questions were adapted with each fielding using participatory research methods.

Why it matters

Data from this study are currently being used to assess primary care practice and professionalism from the perspective of clinicians and patients pressure-tested in their experiences of delivering and receiving care during the Covid-19 pandemic. These data were previously used to inform state legislative actions, policy memos, peer-reviewed publications, and over 200 stories in trade and mainstream media. The pandemic exposed the costs of chronic and fragmented under-investment in primary care. See survey results, instruments, and publications below.

clinicians

PatientS

Resources

THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS

The Quick Covid-19 Survey was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Morris-Singer Foundation, and the Samueli Foundation.

Media Coverage

On March 13, 2020, the Larry A. Green Center launched a national survey to better understand the response and capacity of US primary care practices to COVID-19, as well as the potential impact of the pandemic on primary care.

Made possible by partnerships:

Logo of Primary Care Collaborative featuring concentric circles and the text 'pcc primary care collaborative'.
TN TechNeed logo with black and blue text and tagline 'Trusted Advisor | Solutions Provider'
Colorful logo with the word 'X4 HEALTH' in vibrant letters.