General practitioners' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration in Belgium: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Primary Care
• Health Services Research
• General Practice Management

Background:

• Belgian primary care faces workforce decline and high demand, with most general practitioners (GPs) working in solo or mono-disciplinary settings.
• This leads to suboptimal preventive care and health promotion outcomes.
• A "New-Deal" initiative provides funding for innovative practice organization models, guided by GP representatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify essential support professionals for daily GP practice.
• Define the roles and responsibilities of these integrated healthcare professionals.
• Explore necessary conditions for integrating these professionals into a GP-centred model of care.

Main Methods:

• Eleven focus groups were conducted with 122 general practitioners (GPs) across Belgium.
• Purposive sampling ensured diversity in geographical location, linguistic background, and practice organization models.
• A structured guide with three scenarios was used for data collection, analyzed via an inductively developed codebook.

Main Results:

• General practitioners (GPs) favored small-scale teams, primarily comprising nurses and receptionists.
• The role of a practice assistant was less clearly defined, bridging clinical and administrative tasks.
• Essential integration tools included co-location, defined protocols, shared electronic health records, care coordination, and unified logistics.

Conclusions:

• Belgian GPs prefer integrating healthcare professionals based on workload and patient needs, though practice autonomy may impede change.
• Further research is required to optimize financial models and integration strategies for effective collaborative care.
• Successful integration hinges on addressing practical and organizational challenges within the GP-centred model.