Scoping review to identify strategies and interventions improving interprofessional collaboration and integration in primary care

Abstract

ObjectiveTo identify strategies and interventions used to improve interprofessional collaboration and integration (IPCI) in primary care.DesignScoping reviewData sourcesSpecific Medical Subject Headings terms were used, and a search strategy was developed for PubMed and afterwards adapted to Medline, Eric and Web of Science.Study selectionIn the first stage of the selection, two researchers screened the article abstracts to select eligible papers. When decisions conflicted, three other researchers joined the decision-making process. The same strategy was used with full-text screening. Articles were included if they: (1) were in English, (2) described an intervention to improve IPCI in primary care involving at least two different healthcare disciplines, (3) originated from a high-income country, (4) were peer-reviewed and (5) were published between 2001 and 2020.Data extraction and synthesisFrom each paper, eligible data were extracted, and the selected papers were analysed inductively. Studying the main focus of the papers, researchers searched for common patterns in answering the research question and exposing research gaps. The identified themes were discussed and adjusted until a consensus was reached among all authors.ResultsThe literature search yielded a total of 1816 papers. After removing duplicates, screening titles and abstracts, and performing full-text readings, 34 papers were incorporated in this scoping review. The identified strategies and interventions were inductively categorised under five main themes: (1) Acceptance and team readiness towards collaboration, (2) acting as a team and not as an individual; (3) communication strategies and shared decision making, (4) coordination in primary care and (5) integration of caregivers and their skills and competences.ConclusionsWe identified a mix of strategies and interventions that can function as ‘building blocks’, for the development of a generic intervention to improve collaboration in different types of primary care settings and organisations.

A pharmacist-led medication review service with a deprescribing focus guided by implementation science

“…Medication reviews successful in achieving medication optimization through deprescribing would involve health professionals of multiple backgrounds. Strategies and interventions that would facilitate this collaboration would include factors such as mutual acceptance and readiness of team members towards collaboration, performing as a team rather than an individual; communication strategies among clinicians and shared decision-making, and care coordination (Mustafa Sirimsi et al, 2022). Further, pharmacist-led deprescribing strategies would need to be conceptualized and guided by implementation science (IS) (Pereira et al, 2021;Ailabouni et al, 2022)-the study of the incorporation of evidence-based findings into practice, to improve healthcare- (Bauer et al, 2015;Ronquillo et al, 2018).…”

Development of a toolkit to improve interprofessional collaboration and integration in primary care using qualitative interviews and co-design workshops

“…Based on the study results outlined above, we developed a generic toolkit that can be used by all types of care providers and teams in different primary care settings ( 41 ). Both caregivers working under one roof or in close collaboration and caregivers working at different locations can use this toolkit to improve teamwork.…”

“…We aimed to develop a practical toolkit that could be used by all types of primary care workers and practices, containing single tools that could flexibly be used to encourage collaboration across settings and care providers of all kind. Building further on a scoping review inventorying effective strategies for integrated care, this paper describes the process of development of the toolkit in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region in Belgium ( 41 ).…”

Comprehensive Medication Management Services with a Holistic Point of View, a Scoping Review

“…Previous examination of the literature about the implementation of these services has already been useful to inform further improvements in clinical pharmacy services. The scoping reviews have been conducted on the implementation of medication review services in community pharmacies [ 28 ], medicine use review in the United Kingdom [ 29 ], medication reconciliation at patient discharge [ 30 ], use and impact of telehealth medication reviews [ 31 ] and identification of strategies and interventions improving interprofessional collaboration and integration in primary care [ 32 ]. This review aims to identify the scientific evidence related to a holistic approach, as described above, without limiting it to a particular healthcare setting.…”