Interprofessional Primary Health Care (IPC) Collaboration, Family Health Teams (FHTs) in Ontario

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Interprofessional team-based approaches to primary health care (PHC) delivery have gained support in the literature. Interprofessional primary health care (IPC) models of service delivery allow for different professionals to work together to address patients’ needs. Family Health Teams (FHTs) are a newly introduced model of IPC delivery in Ontario. A variety of factors can influence collaboration between professionals in IPC teams. Purpose/Research Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine stakeholders’ perspectives about policy factors that influence IPC team collaboration, using the example of FHTs in Ontario. Methods: This descriptive study employs semi-structured interviews with key informants from select Ontario FHTs. Directed content analysis was used to examine the Mulvale and Bourgeault (2007) framework. Interviews were conducted with FHT professionals to describe their perspectives on the influence of policy factors in shaping collaboration within their teams and whether identified policy factors acted to enhance or hinder collaboration. Findings: Key informants cited, with highest agreement, economic and regulatory factors as influencing collaboration. Factors agreed upon unanimously by all key informants included funding, provider payment/remuneration, and practice scope. Key informants identified a range of policy factors that hinder collaboration. These included provider payment/remuneration, legal accountability, and the existence of multiple governing bodies. Implications/Conclusion: A number of policy factors were reported to influence collaboration in FHTs in Ontario. Although the findings suggest that incremental reform is possible, widespread policy reform of physician incentives, a key barrier to collaboration, is unlikely. Prospects for reform of this factor may be more promising at an organizational level.