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Table 2 Suggestions for improving primary prevention efforts in general practice: quotations of the most salient focus group results

From: Primary prevention in general practice – views of German general practitioners: a mixed-methods study

Suggestions for improvement by GPs

- Creation of a larger primary prevention network

“I mean, there have to be structural changes, so that the primary prevention is defined as a medical job (…). And I could also imagine a collaboration between the offers of the health insurance companies and local communities. (…) And locally. Not anywhere in the middle of the city in a big institution, where all people have to collect, but it has to happen where people work, where they live. In the neighbourhood.” (Person 1, Focus Group 4)

- Increase of primary prevention efforts in a network of community planning, infrastructure, and schooling

“The statutory health insurance had a program in schools, where they sent physicians to class as well as to teachers to discuss [primary prevention]. So I went into a primary school class and talked about nutrition. (..) After the class, I had a counseling session with each student one-on-one and we talked about eating disorders. And one of them knew exactly that he was eating because of stress and what he should be doing instead. And I think that is the way to go. We need to go to schools (Person 4: Yes, we should go to schools). There we can still influence kids. The experience at the time was great. The students were very open and interested.” (Person 2, Focus Group 3)

- Reimbursement structure that allows for follow-up meetings and counselling sessions on behavior change