Ways GPs adapt to patients’ social difficulties
| Levels of adaptation | Themes | Actions |
| In the individual management of patients | Collect and screening | Collect social data (subjective or objective criteria; home visits) Full involvement in prevention Adapt the duration of consultations to the patients’ needs |
| Developing electronic health record | Systematically collect social and preventive data Red flags in medical records Track social changes over time | |
| Care and financial adaptations | To care for patients with a scale and intensity that is proportionate to the level of disadvantage Adapted medications (free of charge) Payment facilities (third-party payment system) | |
| Communication | Adaptation of communication: simple terms, written documents, drawings, different spoken languages Evaluate health literacy Call patients to ensure proper follow-up Help make appointments for patients Translators (family, other) | |
| Social rights | Counselling in social rights Medical certificates related to social environment and the impact on health | |
| Training | GPs training (continuous professional development) | |
| In the collective management of patients | Access to care | Consultation without appointment Wide opening office hours On-line appointments Medical students in GP offices Network of specialist colleagues who do not charge higher consultation rates |
| Care pathway | Facilitating the care pathway of patients (medical practice in group, including multidisciplinary healthcare homes) Posting of written information and pamphlets in the waiting room Multidisciplinary consultative meetings of health professionals Multidisciplinary protocols for medical offices Therapeutic support groups Telemedicine | |
| Quality/equity programme | French pay-for-performance indicators Monitoring of health equity/quality—Research | |
| In the community management | Description of the practice population | Description of the characteristics and healthcare needs of the practice population |
| Coordination of care and collaborations | Coordination of care with other sociomedical professionals (other specialists, social workers) Collaborations with public health services Collaborations with associations, key persons in the community | |
| Public authorities | Collaborations with public authorities |
GP, general practitioner.