3PC (family physicians)
Pandemic Planning for Primary Care (3PC)
Funder:
Family physicians play an important role in pandemic response and recovery, but existing pandemic response plans do not adequately incorporate family physicians. The goal of the project is to inform the development of pandemic plans by examining the roles and experiences of family physicians in four Canadian regions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia.
The project is a multiple case-study of regions in each of the four provinces, using a two-part, mixed-methods design that consists of the following components:
Chronology of family physician roles during the COVID-19 pandemic response
Qualitative interviews with family physicians
By conducting this study, the results will provide high-quality evidence and tools (e.g., checklists) for government ministries, public health units, health organizations, and family physicians to use, both for future waves of COVID-19, and for future pandemics.
Principal Investigators: Drs. Maria Mathews (Western University), Lindsay Hedden (Simon Fraser University), Julia Lukewich (Memorial University), Emily Gard Marshall (Dalhousie University)
Co-Investigators: Shabnam Asghari, Kris Aubrey-Bassler, Judith Belle Brown, Erin Christian, Thomas Freeman, Paul Gill, George Kim, Rita McCracken, Bridget Ryan, Gordon Schacter, Shannon Sibbald, Nardia Strydom, Amanda Terry, Amardeep Thind, Eric Wong, Maria Alexaiadis, Maddi McKay, Alexander Summers, Jamie Wickett, Jennifer Young
Publications
Mathews M, Spencer S, Hedden L, Marshall EG, Lukewich J, Meredith L, Ryan D, Buote R, Liu T, Volpe E, Gill PS, Ryan B, Schacter G, Wickett J, Freeman TR, Sibbald SL, Wong E, McKay M, McCracken R, Brown JB. Development of a primary care pandemic plan informed by in-depth policy analysis and interviews with family physicians across Canada during COVID-19: a qualitative case study protocol. BMJ Open 2021;11:e048209. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048209 https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/7/e048209
Mathews, M., Meredith, L., Ryan, D., Hedden, L., Lukewich, J., Marshall, E. G., Buote, R., Moritz, L., Spencer, S., Asghari, S., Brown, J. B., Freeman, T. R., Gill, P. S., McCracken, R. K., McKay, M., Ryan, B., Sibbald, S. L., Wetmore, S., & Wong, E. The roles of family physicians during a pandemic. Healthcare Management Forum. 2023;36(1):30-35. doi:2. 10.1177/08404704221112311
Mathews, M., Ryan, D., Hedden, L., Lukewich, J., Marshall, E.G., Brown, J.B., Gill, P.S., McKay, M., Wong, E., Wetmore, S.J., Buote, R., Meredith, L., Moritz, L., Spencer, S., Alexiadis, M., Freeman, T.R., Letto, A., Ryan, B.L., Sibbald, S.L. and Terry, A.L. (2022), "Family physician leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic: roles, functions and key supports", Leadership in Health Services, Vol. 35 No. 4, pp. 559-575. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-03-2022-0030
Sarah Spencer, Lindsay Hedden, Crystal Vaughan, Emily Gard Marshall, Julia Lukewich, Shabnam Asghari, Paul Gill, Richard Buote, Leslie Meredith, Lauren Moritz, Dana Ryan, Maria Mathews. “It was horrible for that community, but not for the way we had imagined”: A qualitative study of family physicians’ experiences of caring for communities experiencing marginalisation during COVID-19, SSM - Qualitative Research in Health, Volume 2, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2022.100176
Crystal Vaughan, Julia Lukewich, Maria Mathews, Emily Gard Marshall, Lindsay Hedden, Sarah Spencer, Dana Ryan, Rita K McCracken, Paul Gill, Stephen Wetmore, Richard Buote, Leslie Meredith, Lauren Moritz, Judith Belle Brown, Family physicians’ perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 on preventative care in primary care: findings from a qualitative study, Family Practice, 2022; cmac113, https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmac113
Mathews M, Ryan D, Hedden L, Lukewich J, Marshall EG, Buote R, Meredith L, Moritz L, Spencer S, Asghari S, Brown JB, Freeman TR, Gill PS, Ryan BL, Wetmore SJ, Wong E. Strengthening the integration of primary care in pandemic response plans. British Journal of General Practice 20 March 2023; BJGP.2022.0350. DOI: 10.3399/BJGP.2022.0350 https://bjgp.org/content/early/2022/11/30/BJGP.2022.0350. short
Mathews M, Ryan D, Hedden L, Lukewich J, Marshall EG, Asghari S, Terry AL, Buote R, Meredith L, Moritz L, Spencer S, Brown JB, Christian E, Freeman TR, Gill PS, Sibbald SL, Wong E. Family physicians’ responses to personal protective equipment shortages in four regions in Canada: a qualitative study. BMC Prim. Care 24, 56 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-022-01958-7
Mathews M, Meredith L, Ryan D, Hedden L, Lukewich J, Marshall EG, Moritz L, Spencer S, Xiao J, Brown JB, McKay M, Wong E, Gill P. An analysis of policies supporting the roles of family physicians in four regions in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare Management Forum. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1177/08404704231183174
Hedden L, Spencer S, Mathews M, Marshall EG, Lukewich J, Asghari S, Brown JB, Gill PS, Freeman TR, McCracken RK, Ryan BL, Vaughan C, Wong E, Buote R, Meredith L, Moritz L, Ryan D, McKay M, Schacter G. "There's nothing like a good crisis for innovation": a qualitative study of family physicians' experiences with virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. BMC Health Serv Res. 2023 Apr 4;23(1):338. doi: 10.1186/s12913-023-09256-3.
Moritz, L.R., Buote, R., McKay, M., Meredith, L., Ryan, D., Spencer, S., Vaughan, C., Hedden, L., Lukewich, J., Mathews, M., Shabnam, A., Brown, J.B., Gill, P.S., Wong, E., & Marshall, E.G. Family physicians’ perspectives on collaboration challenges between primary care and specialist care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada: A qualitative study. SSM - Qualitative Research in Health. 2023 Dec 1;4:100338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100338
Young G, Mathews M, Hedden LK, Lukewich J, Marshall EG, Gill PS, McKay M, Ryan D, Spencer S, Buote RD, Meredith L, Moritz L, Brown JB, Christian E, Wong E. “Swamped with information”: A qualitative study of family physicians’ experiences of managing and applying pandemic-related information. Frontiers in Communication. Sec, Health Communication. 2023, 8. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2023.1186678
Mathews M, Xiao J, Hedden L, Lukewich J, Marshall EG, Buote R, Meredith L, Moritz L, Ryan D, Spencer S, Asghari S, Gill PS, Wickett J, Wong E. Family physicians’ roles in long-term care homes and other congregate residential care settings during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study. Journal of Long-Term Care. 2023. 231-240 DOI: 10.31389/jltc.229
Maria Mathews; Tiffany Liu; Dana Ryan; Lindsay Hedden; Julia Lukewich; Emily Gard Marshall; Richard Buote; Leslie Meredith; Lauren R. Moritz; Sarah Spencer; Shabnam Asghari; Judith B. Brown; Thomas R. Freeman; Paul S. Gill; Shannon Sibbald. Practice and system-based interventions to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission in primary care settings: a qualitative study. Healthc Policy. 2023 Nov; 19(2): 63–78.
Spencer S, Lukewich J, Marshall EG, Mathews M, Asghari S, Brown JB, Freeman TR, Gill P, Idrees S, McCracken RK, Ranade S, Slade S, Terry AL, Wickett J, Wong E, Buote R, Meredith L, Moritz L, Ryan D, Hedden L. 2024. “Family doctors are also people”: A qualitative analysis of how family physicians managed competing personal and professional responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hum Resour Health 22(18). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-024-00901-4.
Hedden L, Spencer S, Mathews M, Marshall EG, Lukewich J, Asghari S, Gill P, McCracken RK, Vaughan C, Wong E, Buote R, Meredith L, Moritz L, Ryan D, Schacter G. 2024. “Technology has allowed us to do a lot more but it's not necessarily the panacea for everybody”: Family physician perspectives on virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. PLOS ONE 19(2): e0296768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296768
Mathews, M., Hedden, L., Lukewich, J., Marshall, EG., Meredith, L., Moritz, L., Ryan, D., Spencer, S., Brown, JB., Gill, PS., Wong, EKW. Adapting care provision in family practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative study exploring the impact of primary care reforms in four Canadian regions. BMC Prim. Care 25, 109 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02356-x
Mathews, M., Idrees, S., Ryan, D., Hedden, L., Lukewich, J., Marshall, EG., Brown, JB., Gill, P., McKay, M., Wong, E., Meredith, L., Moritz, L., & Spencer, S. System-Based Interventions to Address Physician Burnout: A Qualitative Study of Canadian Family Physicians’ Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Health Policy and Management (Submitted June 14, 2023, Accepted 29May 2024). https://www.ijhpm.com/article_4605.html
Marshall EG, Mortiz LR, Buote R, Mathews M, Lukewich J, Brown JB, Sibbald S, Munene A, Hedden L, Ryan D, Spencer S. Revealing administrative staff roles in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study of family physicians’ perspectives. Front. Health Serv., 25 November 2024, Sec. Health Workforce Volume 4 – 2024 https://doi.org/10.3389/frhs.2024.1471236
Mathews, M., Ryan, D., Hedden, L. et al. Surge capacity and practice management challenges of Canadian family physicians during COVID-19: a qualitative study. Hum Resour Health 23, 13 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-025-00981-w
