Abstract
BACKGROUND: GPFirst is a primary care partnership program designed to encourage patients with nonurgent conditions to seek care at participating general practitioner clinics instead of visiting the emergency department. In 2019, a digital media campaign (DMC) was launched to raise awareness and knowledge about GPFirst among residents in eastern Singapore. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the DMC's impact on awareness and knowledge of GPFirst across different age groups, and the acceptability and satisfaction of GPFirst. METHODS: The DMC, comprising Facebook posts and a website designed using the Andersen behavioral model, was evaluated through 2 repeated cross-sectional surveys. The first cross-sectional survey (CS1) was conducted with eastern Singapore residents aged 21 years and older, 2 1 year before the campaign's launch, and the second survey (CS2) 4 months after. Satisfaction was measured on a 5-point Likert scale (very poor to excellent) about GPFirst experiences. Acceptability was assessed with 3 yes or no questions on decisions to visit or recommend GPFirst clinics. Analyses used tests of proportions, adjusted multiregression models, and age-stratified secondary analyses. RESULTS: The Facebook posts generated 38,404 engagements within 5 months, with "#ThankYourGP" posts being the most viewed (n=24,602) and engaged (n=2618). Overall, 1191 and 1161 participants completed CS1 and CS2 respectively. Compared to CS1, CS2 participants were more aware (odds ratio [OR] 2.64, 95% CI 2.11-3.31; P<.001) and knowledgeable of GPFirst (OR 4.20, 95% CI 2.62-6.73; P<.001). Awareness was higher among married individuals (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.04-1.66; P=.03), those without a regular primary care physician (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.44-2.22; P<.001), and with higher education levels. Similarly, knowledge was greater among individuals with secondary (OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.35-6.17; P=.006) and preuniversity education (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.14-5.70; P=.02), and those without a regular primary care physician (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.02-2.34; P=.04). For acceptability, among participants who visited a GPFirst clinic, 98.2% (163/166) reported they would continue to visit a GPFirst clinic before the emergency department in the future, 95.2% (158/166) would recommend the clinic, 60.2% (100/166) cited the clinic's participation in GPFirst as a factor in their provider's choice and 87.3% (145/166) were satisfied with GPFirst. Among those unaware of GPFirst, 88.3% (1680/1903) would consider visiting a GPFirst clinic before the emergency department in the future. CONCLUSIONS: The DMC improved awareness and knowledge of GPFirst, with high satisfaction and acceptability among participants. Age-dependent strategies may improve GPFirst participation. The "#ThankYourGP" campaign demonstrated the potential of user-generated content to boost social media engagement, a strategy that international health systems could adopt.