Transformation of primary care settings implementing a co-located team-based care model: a scoping review

In Canada, primary care reforms led to the implementation of various team-based care models to improve access and provide more comprehensive care for patients. Despite these advances, ongoing challenges remain. The aim of this scoping review is to explore current understanding of the functioning of these care models as well as the contexts in which they have emerged and their impact on the population, providers and healthcare costs.

The Medline and CINAHL databases were consulted. To be included, team-based care models had to be co-located, involve a family physician, specify the other professionals included, and provide information about their organization, their relevance and their impact within a primary care context. Models based on inter-professional intervention programs were excluded. The organization and coordination of services, the emerging contexts and the impact on the population, providers and healthcare costs were analysed.

A total of 5952 studies were screened after removing duplicates; 15 articles were selected for final analysis. There was considerable variation in the information available as well as the terms used to describe the models. They are operationalized in various ways, generally consistent with the Patient's Medical Home vision. Except for nurses, the inclusion of other types of professionals is variable and tends to be associated with the specific nature of the services offered. The models primarily focus on individuals with mental health conditions and chronic diseases. They appear to generally satisfy the expectations of the overarching framework of a high-performing team-based primary care model at patient and provider levels. However, economic factors are seldom integrated in their evaluations.

The studies rarely provide an overarching view that permits an understanding of the specific contexts, service organization, their impacts, and the broader context of implementation, making it difficult to establish universal guidelines for the operationalization of effective models. Negotiating the inherent complexity associated with implementing models requires a collaborative approach between various stakeholders, including patients, to tailor the models to the specific needs and characteristics of populations in given areas, and reflection about the professionals to be included in delivering these services.