' Some of my patients only come to renew their prescriptions. They are not interested in any additional advice or support'. Physicians' perceptions on their roles in cardiovascular diseases risk reduction and management in Fiji.

Publisher: Cambridge University Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 100897390 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1477-1128 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14634236 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Prim Health Care Res Dev Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: Cambridge : Cambridge University Press
Original Publication: London : Arnold, c2000-

Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Physicians*; Humans ; Fiji ; Treatment Outcome ; Qualitative Research ; Prescriptions ; Attitude of Health Personnel

Background: Primary health care (PHC) physicians' perceptions are vital to understand as they are the first-line health care providers in cardiovascular diseases (CVD) risk assessment and management. This study aims to explore PHC physicians' perceptions on their roles and their perceptions on management and risk reduction approaches on CVD risk reduction and management in Fiji.
Methods: This is a qualitative study conducted in the Suva Medical area among 7 health centers from 1 August to 31 September, 2021. Purposive sampling was used to recruit physicians who worked in the Suva medical area as PHC physicians with at least 6 months' experience in the Special Outpatients Department clinics. In-depth interview were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire over the telephone and recorded on a tablet device application. The interview content was then transcribed, and thematic analysis was done.
Results: This study included 25 PHC physicians. From the thematic analysis, 2 major themes emerged with 6 subthemes. Theme 1 was CVD management skills with 3 subthemes including education, experience and trainings, beliefs and attitudes of physicians, self-confidence and effectiveness in CVD risk reduction and management. Theme 2 was roles and expectations with 3 subthemes including perceptions of effective treatment, perceptions of physicians' roles and perceptions of patients' expectations. Physicians generally see their role as central and imperative. They perceive to be important and leading toward combating CVDs.
Conclusions: Physicians' perceptions on their commitment to prevention and management of CVDs through their skills and knowledge, beliefs and motivation should be acknowledged. It is recommended that the physicians are updated on the current evidence-based medicine. Limitations include results that may not be the reflection of the entire physician and multidisciplinary community and the difficulties in face-to-face interviews due to the coronavirus diseases of 2019 pandemic.

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Keywords: Fiji; cardiovascular diseases; perceptions; physicians; primary health care; risk reduction

Date Created: 20230208 Date Completed: 20230209 Latest Revision: 20230302

20240829

PMC9971845

10.1017/S1463423622000779

36752134