Implementing Whole Person Primary Care: Results from a Year-Long Learning Collaborative.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Transformation
• Integrative Health
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The National Academies of Medicine advocates for a
• whole person
• primary care model, emphasizing person-centered, relationship-based care that integrates social, spiritual, emotional, and behavioral health aspects.
• Current healthcare delivery tools, like the SOAP Note, are insufficient for capturing and organizing these holistic elements in practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and evaluate an Integrative Health Learning Collaborative (IHLC) aimed at implementing and testing new tools for transforming primary care practices towards a whole person care model.
• To address the limitations of existing documentation tools in capturing the comprehensive aspects of whole person care.

Main Methods:

• The IHLC involved primary care practices committed to whole person care, guided by integrative health and change management experts.
• Monthly virtual meetings facilitated strategy development and tool adaptation, utilizing the HOPE Note toolkit, change management strategies, and quality improvement techniques.

Main Results:

• Sixteen clinics completed the 1-year program, utilizing the HOPE Note tools with 942 patients.
• Participants reported significant improvements in clinical practice effectiveness, enhanced skills and attitudes, and robust change management support.

Conclusions:

• The online learning collaborative effectively supported primary care practices in implementing a whole person care model.
• The program demonstrably improved the understanding, skills, and delivery capabilities of whole person care across all participating clinics.