Advancing team-based primary health care: a comparative analysis of policies in western Canada

The article analyzed and compared primary health care (PHC) policies in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan to understand how they inform the design and implementation of team-based primary health care service delivery. The goal was to develop policy imperatives that can advance team-based PHC in Canada. 

The House of Care in Scotland

Scotland´s House of Care programme aims to facilitate a fundamental shift in the relationship between person and professional, so that the person is in the driving seat of their health and social care, with self management at the heart of it.

This approach supports and enables people to articulate their own needs and decide on their own priorities, through a process of joint decision making, goal setting and action planning. 

F@ce: a team-based, person-centred intervention for rehabilitation after stroke supported by information and communication technology – a feasibility study

Despite encouraging data about declining stroke incidence, on a global level the aging population and accumulating risk factors contribute to an increasing lifetime risk of stroke. Per the Global Burden of Disease 2016 Lifetime Risk of Stroke Collaborators, the mean global lifetime risk of stroke increased from 22.8% in 1990 to 24.9% in 2016, a relative increase of 8.9% (95% CI, 6.2%–11.5%) after accounting for the competing risk of death of any cause other than stroke.

Globally, there is a growing use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), including mobile phones, tablets and computers, which are being integrated into people’s daily activities. An ICT-based intervention called F@ce was developed in order to provide a structure for the process in stroke rehabilitation and facilitate change by integrating a global problem-solving strategy using SMS alerts. The aim of the study was to evaluate the ...

An Integrated Care Strategy for Pre-schoolers with Suspected Developmental Disorders: The Optimus Co-design Project that has Made it to Regular Care

Facilitating integration through team-based primary healthcare: A cross-case policy analysis of four Canadian provinces

Team-based care can improve integrated health services by increasing comprehensiveness and continuity of care in primary healthcare (PHC) settings. Collaborative models involving providers from different professions can help to achieve coordinated, high-quality person-centred care.

In Canada, five key components were found that influenced IPHC and integrated health services: patient-centred care; team structures; information systems; financial management; and performance measurement. 

When the Note Doesn't Fit: Social Workers Documenting in the Electronic Health Record on Integrated Health Teams

A qualitative study was conducted to understand how social workers document their work in the electronic health record (EHR) in integrated primary care settings. Three themes emerged from the analysis of the focus groups: 1) considerable variability in where and how social workers document their practice within the EHR; 2) EHR functions are not designed for social work practice; and 3) EHR documentation practices as helpful for demonstrating social workers’ contributions to other integrated care team members. Education, training, and EHR adaptations are needed as social workers and other nontraditional healthcare providers continue to partake in team-based service delivery, especially in integrated primary care.