Interprofessional primary care team meetings: a qualitative approach comparing observations with personal opinions

Abstract

Background.The number of people with multiple chronic conditions requiring primary care services increases. Professionals from different disciplines collaborate and coordinate care to deal with the complex health care needs. There is lack of information on current practices regarding interprofessional team (IPT) meetings.Objectives.This study aimed to improve our understanding of the process of interprofessional collaboration in primary care team meetings in the Netherlands by observing the current practice and exploring personal opinions.Methods.Qualitative study involving observations of team meetings and interviews with participants. Eight different IPT meetings (n = 8) in different primary care practices were observed by means of video recordings. Experiences were explored by conducting individual semi-structured interviews (n = 60) with participants (i.e. health care professionals from different disciplines) of the observed team meetings. The data were analysed by means of content analysis.Results.Most participants expressed favourable opinions about their team meetings. However, observations showed that team meetings were more or less hectic, and lacked a clear structure and team coordinator or leader. There appears to be a discrepancy between findings from observations and interviews. From the interviews, four main themes were extracted: (1) Team structure and composition, (2) Patient-centredness, (3) Interaction and (4) Attitude and motivation.Conclusion.IPT meetings could benefit from improvements in structure, patient-centredness and leadership by the chairpersons. Given the discrepancy between observations and interviews, it would appear useful to improve team members’ awareness of aspects that could be improved before training them in dealing with specific challenges.

Cuidado a Um Lactente Com Alergia À Proteína Do Leite De Vaca: Uma Experiência Interdisciplinar

“…17, n. 32, 2017-ISSN 2176 VAN DONGEN et al, 2017;WORLD..., 2010). No que se refere à abordagem interdisciplinar na alimentação e nutrição dos indivíduos e coletividades, a Política Nacional de Alimentação e Nutrição enfatiza a sua relevância aliada à determinação social da ingesta alimentar, visando a uma alimentação adequada e saudável que se refletirá na saúde da população brasileira (BRASIL, 2012c (BRASIL, 2011;WORLD..., 2006), e é bastante relevante por combinar uma medida antropométrica e uma medida demográfica, possibilitando uma avaliação mais rica e complexa.…”

Development of a Customizable Programme for Improving Interprofessional Team Meetings: An Action Research Approach

“…An average team may comprise family physicians, practice nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and district nurses [13]. …”

“…Conducting successful IPT meetings is complex as it is influenced by many factors [9131415]. A structure for team meetings, preparation of the meetings, division of roles and shared values have been reported to be important aspects of successful and efficient team meetings [13].…”

“…A structure for team meetings, preparation of the meetings, division of roles and shared values have been reported to be important aspects of successful and efficient team meetings [13]. In practice, teamwork is often inefficient and time consuming, due to lack of a clear structure, depth of discussion and lack clear agreements [1316]. Professionals consider lack of time to be a serious barrier to team functioning [14].…”

“…Professionals consider lack of time to be a serious barrier to team functioning [14]. Moreover, observations have shown that IPT meetings are still dominated by the professional instead of the individual patients’ perspective and often lack a leader who can guide team development through stimulating team reflection [13]. …”