Methods and Barriers to the Prescription of Physical Activity to Patients with Chronic Illness: The Viewpoint of General Practitioners

Introduction: As a result of recent legislation designed to modernize the healthcare system (2016 French Healthcare Act and its Implementing Decree), General Practitioners (GP) in France can now prescribe Adapted Physical Activity (APA) to patients with a long-term illness.Purpose of Research: To understand and explain the obstacles that physicians and their patients still encounter, thereby hindering the accessibility and effectiveness of APA, we carried out a meta-analysis of 22 French medical theses defended between 2016 and 2020.Results: Despite the new legislation, very few general GP prescribed APA during the period we studied. Lack of time during consultations, lack of relevant training, lack of knowledge about where to send patients for APA, and mistrust of APA providers appeared to be the main obstacles to prescribing APA as a non-drug therapy. The GP's own lifestyle, the nature of the GP patient relationship, and the GP's perception of the patient's attitude to sport also seemed to influence the decision to prescribe APA.Conclusion: Scant attention has been paid to GP' viewpoint, either in the scientific literature or in recent policies regarding the implementation of APA prescribing in France. This meta-analysis points to a need for more research and for public policies that consider the perspectives of these prescribing physicians and their relationships with their patients.