Table 6.

Qualitative findings from interviews with PCPs: N = 34.

CORE THEME	SAMPLE DATA REPRESENTING EACH THEME
Balancing pre-existing relationship with required expertise	“OK, so a stranger calls you from the hospital and says your child might have cystic fibrosis, but we just have to check to be sure, it’s probably worse than if I sit down and talk with them, speak with them after I’ve had a relationship for several years” (F2)
	“I don’t know enough to counsel parents and they usually have a lot more questions than I can answer .… I don’t know enough about all the statistics and the next steps, and where to go and what bloodwork they have to do. So I find it easier for the person from the newborn screening to call them” (P4)
System design	“Really, like not beyond textbook knowledge and, you know, I’ve never had that result .… So when I saw [the result], I panicked a little—oh my god—I really don’t know anything about this condition, but it didn’t matter because I got such good thorough information, I felt like I could convey the basics to my client. And I was able to refer her to the professionals quickly so it was just seamless; it was a really good experience” (M2)
	“So I get a panicked call at about 3 pm or so in the afternoon, from the dad .… ‘We got some call about something to do with CF in [child’s name].’ I had not received any results yet … I’d received no information, like nothing. They got the call from [NSO] saying they’re being referred, so they’re in like a total panic .… And so it just, it was a bit of a challenging position for me .… I’m scrambling trying to get information before I call them back, in the middle of clinic. Had I received the result beforehand … a couple of hours in an evening to figure it out before I called the family to tell them, or before I heard from them” (F4)

CF—cystic fibrosis, F—family physician, M—midwife, NSO—Newborn Screening Ontario, P—pediatrician, PCP—primary care practitioner.