Understanding interprofessional team delivery of patient-centered care: a qualitative secondary analysis

ABSTRACT

Primary Care providers are expected to deliver patient-centered care (PCC) within teams; however, PCC tends to be studied within the provider-patient dyad, often to the exclusion of interprofessional team relationships. The purpose of this study was to explore how PCC is understood in the context of inter-provider relationships within Collaborative Mental Health Care teams. Previously collected data formed the basis of a qualitative secondary analysis using constructivist grounded theory. Focus group transcripts from six teams were analyzed using constant comparison. Coding, memoing, and diagramming were used to construct categories and themes. Having worked together over time, these teams developed a shared identity termed the Collective in this analysis. We define this social entity including antecedent conditions, the cultural milieu of the Collective, and provider-perceived outcomes. We further detail how these providers understood PCC as a team-delivered practice including the processes of coming together for a more complete picture, delivering the same message, and managing complexity together. We argue that practice settings supporting relationship development between providers, in addition to with the patient, may be essential to team delivery of PCC.

KEYWORDS:

• Patient-centered
• interprofessional collaboration
• collaborative mental health care
• primary care
• qualitative secondary analysis

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cynthia Yamamoto

Cynthia Yamamoto is an occupational therapist and researcher. She completed this study as part of her MSc Thesis project with Dr. Pamela Wener as her advisor. Cynthia is currently working towards an Interdisciplinary Studies Doctorate in Rehabilitation Science and Sociology at the University of Manitoba with Sociology as her home department.

Pamela Wener

Pamela Wener is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Manitoba and was Cynthia’s MSc advisor. Pamela, teaches and researches in the areas of client-centred practice and interprofessional collaboration.

Jacquie Ripat

Jacquie Ripat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Manitoba. As a qualitative and mixed methods researcher, one facet of her program of research focuses on the development of client-centredness in practitioners and on understanding how individuals experience client-centred practice in health care.

Roberta L. Woodgate

Dr. Roberta L Woodgate is a Distinguished Professor, College of Nursing at the University of Manitoba holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Child and Family Engagement in Health Research and Healthcare. Her research program, IN•GAUGETM, embraces a dynamic approach to: involve children, youth and families; interact with researchers and knowledge users in the research, intervention and evaluation process; and be innovative in the use and exchange of knowledge with the combined goal of improving health care and access to care for children and youth. She has expertise in qualitative, youth-centred and arts-based methodologies.