A pilot study of team-based primary health care for people with disabilities in South Korea

ABSTRACT

To assess the feasibility of a primary health care (PHC) project for people with disabilities (PwDs) in South Korea, participants’ experiences and perceptions were explored using the Analysis of Determinants of Policy Impact (ADEPT) model as a guide. Three focus group interviews and three one-on-one interviews were administered, and a directed content analysis was conducted based on four determinants from the ADEPT model. The findings showed that the project goal should be specified and reviewed periodically by participants. Although they were willing to devote themselves to the project, lack of a clear job description or mutual understanding often led to participants, especially health coordinators, feeling overwhelmed with their workload. Nevertheless, the project gave PwDs an opportunity to feel that they were being cared for by their care providers, while the participants as service providers had an opportunity to provide integrated care to their patients. For the successful settlement of team-based, person-centered PHC in South Korea, the formal PHC education should include an interprofessional team approach emphasizing communication skills among the health workforce. Opinions of PwDs and their family members also need to be reflected in the content of PHC.

KEYWORDS:

• Content analysis
• health and social care
• interprofessional care
• team-based care

Acknowledgments

We thank the PHC team members for sharing their valuable experiences of caring for PwDs.

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Community Chest of Korea via the Korea Health & Welfare Social Cooperative Federation.