Sara Willems (Belgium)
Ghent University
Public Health and Primary Care
Sara Willems holds a Master degree in Health Promotion (1999). In 2005 she obtained a PhD in Medical Sciences with her thesis on the accessibility of the Belgian health care system for deprived population groups. She was appointed assistant professor in October 2011 and started as associate professor in October 2016 at the Unit Equity in Health Care in the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Care (from 2018 on the Department of Public Health and Primary Care) of Ghent University. Her work examines the relation between health care organisation and equity in access to care, treatment and outcomes of care. Her research interests include also equity as a dimension of quality of care; person and people centred care; community oriented primary care; and social accountability of medical programs. She leads the Equity in Health Care research group, an interdisciplinary research group leading or partnering in numerous national and international research projects on equity in primary care. She is also the chair of Quality and Safety Ghent: an expertise center on quality and patient safety in primary and transmural care. In 2018, she became the head of the newly formed department of Public Health and Primary Care. At the start of the Covid pandemic, Sara Willems initiated PRICOV-19, an international study collecting data in 38 countries on the impact of Covid-19 on the organization of primary care, quality of care and equity in the access to care and the processes of care. PRICOV-19 is the first study at this scale studying quality of care in primary care practices.

Moderator of 1 Session

 Conference Calendar
SPECIAL INTEREST SESSION

SPECIAL INTEREST SESSION organised by EQUIP (ID 9)

Session Type
SPECIAL INTEREST SESSION
Date
10.07.2021, Saturday
Session Time
09:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Room
Hall 3
Chair(s)
Session Description
COVID-19: THREAT OR OPPORTUNITY FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE?
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Presenter of 2 Presentations

 Conference Calendar

BO III: CARE FOR VULNERABLE POPULATION GROUPS

Session Name
0080 - SPECIAL INTEREST SESSION organised by EQUIP (ID 9)
Date
10.07.2021, Saturday
Session Time
09:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Room
Hall 3
Presenter
Lecture Time
10:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Session Icon
Pure Live, Pre-Registration

COVID-19: THREAT OR OPPORTUNITY FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN GENERAL PRACTICE?

Session Name
0080 - SPECIAL INTEREST SESSION organised by EQUIP (ID 9)
Date
10.07.2021, Saturday
Session Time
09:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Room
Hall 3
Presenter
Lecture Time
09:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Session Icon
Pure Live, Pre-Registration

Abstract

Abstract Body

Background:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an international research team, in close collaboration with EQuiP, set up the international multi-country study PRICOV-19 aiming to assess the impact of the pandemic on the organization of care in PC practices and on the different dimensions of quality of care, the efforts undertaken to ensure access to care and high-quality care for all patients, possible changes in roles of practice staff, and measures undertaken to ensure practice staff’ wellbeing.

Aim and learning objectives:

- Getting acknowledged with the results of the PRICOV-19 study

- Reflecting on the threats and opportunities the respondents experienced in their own practice and in general practice in their country

- Getting inspired by the experiences of colleagues and the input of experts to turn threats into opportunities

- Formulating a plan for QI in the own practice

Methods and timetable (90 min):

- Presentation of the PRICOV-19 study results incl. what was identified as a threat /opportunity for QI in PC.

- Thematic small-group sessions: sharing experiences and reflect on how the experienced threats could be turned into an opportunity.
Themes:

o patient safety;

o interprofessional care;

o care for vulnerable population groups;

o care for the caregiver;

o keeping up with guidelines in a rapidly changing world.

- Plenary session with expert panel

- Participants formulate a personal intention for action in the next 3 weeks.

(Proposed) results / Conclusions:

Participants are inspired to find solutions for the threats COVID-19 poses in their own working context and this is written down in a concrete plan for the near future.

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