Establishing primary care physician commitment in Canadian long-term care homes: a protocol for a modified e-Delphi...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery
• Geriatric medicine
• Medical practice management

Background:

• Primary care physician (PCP) commitment in Canadian long-term care (LTC) homes is inconsistent.
• A lack of standardized expectations for PCP involvement may impact the quality of care and resident health outcomes.
• Defining PCP commitment is theorized by practice proportion, resident load, and time per encounter.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish consensus on the expectations for primary care physician commitment in Canadian long-term care settings.
• To develop a Canadian standard for PCP engagement in LTC homes.
• To inform best practices for medical care delivery in LTC.

Main Methods:

• A modified two-round e-Delphi study protocol guided by RAND and ACCORD methodologies.
• Recruitment of pan-Canadian experts in LTC medical care delivery.
• Literature review to generate candidate statements on PCP commitment, followed by online questionnaires and a virtual synchronous meeting.

Main Results:

• The study protocol outlines a rigorous consensus-building process.
• Expert panel input will be gathered through iterative questionnaires and discussions.
• The findings will lead to a defined set of consensus-based expectations for PCP commitment.

Conclusions:

• Consensus on PCP commitment expectations is essential for standardizing care in Canadian LTC homes.
• This research will contribute to improved quality of care and health outcomes for LTC residents.
• The established consensus will provide a foundation for future policy and practice guidelines.