Interprofessional collaboration in family health teams

OBJECTIVE To examine family health team (FHT) members’ perspectives and experiences of interprofessional collaboration and perceived benefits.

DESIGN Qualitative case study using semistructured interviews.

SETTING Fourteen FHTs in urban and rural Ontario.

PARTICIPANTS Purposeful sample of the members of 14 FHTs, including family physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, dietitians, social workers, pharmacists, and managers.

METHODS A multiple case-study approach involving 14 FHTs was employed. Thirty-two semistructured interviews were conducted and data were analyzed by employing an inductive thematic approach. A member-checking technique was also undertaken to enhance the validity of the findings.

MAIN FINDINGS Five main themes are reported: rethinking traditional roles and scopes of practice, management and leadership, time and space, interprofessional initiatives, and early perceptions of collaborative care.

CONCLUSION This study shows the importance of issues such as roles and scopes of practice, leadership, and space to effective team-based primary care, and provides a framework for understanding different types of interprofessional interventions used to support interprofessional collaboration.