Understanding the Family Doctor Concept in Public Primary Care Clinics in Malaysia: Objectives, Initiatives, Resources, and Expected Outcomes

Abstract

IntroductionFamily Doctor Concept (FDC) was a program introduced at selected public primary care clinics to strengthen family practice in Malaysia. It is a healthcare delivery system approach that strives to achieve “One Family, One Doctor” concept so that the physicians can provide the population with comprehensive, continuous, collaborative, personal, family- and community-oriented services.Methods and materials We collected qualitative data collection via semi-structured interviews with stakeholders (Policymakers, healthcare providers, state- and clinic-level implementers). The data were analyzed using thematic analysis according to the Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) guideline for reporting the findings.ResultsThe 16 stakeholders who participated in this research agreed that the FDC is an approach to deliver integrated, personalized, family-centered, and comprehensive care to clients. However, there were other macro-level and longer-term objectives, such as mapping diseases and improving accessibility. FDC components were related to the objectives, and variation in the implementation was expected to suit different settings. Generally, the stakeholders disagreed on the input requirement, but all cited human resources as a significant limiting factor. There were numerous expected outcomes, which could be divided into short-, intermediate-, and long-term.ConclusionFDC consists of several change initiatives in a complex health care system whereby the capacity building of human resources is critical in achieving the desired outcomes. Thus, there is an urgent need for multiple stakeholders to reach common understanding and building a workable roadmap for successful implementation.