Difficulties encountered in collaborative care: logistics trumps desire.

Area of Science:

• Primary Health Care
• Interprofessional Collaboration
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Medically complex patients at risk for adverse outcomes require coordinated care.
• Family physicians (FPs) and specialized care teams face challenges in developing collaborative relationships.
• The study focuses on the Anticipatory And Preventative Team Care (APTCare) model.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the development of collaborative relationships between FPs and APTCare team members.
• To identify facilitators and barriers to interprofessional collaboration in primary care.
• To understand the experiences of FPs, nurse practitioners (NPs), and pharmacists in a collaborative care setting.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study design utilizing interviews and focus groups.
• Survey administered to participating FPs, NPs, and pharmacists.
• NPs and pharmacists maintained logs of tasks and collaboration instances.

Main Results:

• Scheduling demands and limited physical space hindered face-to-face collaboration.
• Technological tools were essential for maintaining communication.
• Informal interactions were limited due to spatial separation.

Conclusions:

• Difficulties in collaborative care are not patient-population specific.
• Developing effective collaborative relationships requires significant time and effort.
• Ongoing support and education are crucial for successful collaborative practice implementation.