Involvement of practice nurses and allied health professionals in the development and management of care planning processes for patients with chronic disease - A pilot study.

INTRODUCTION: Medicare items were introduced in 2005 to encourage general practitioners (GPs) to involve other healthcare providers in the management of patients with chronic disease. However, there appears to be barriers to converting financial incentives and the use of information technology as a communication tool to better patient outcomes. The aim of this study was to explore these barriers from the perspectives of practice nurses and allied health practitioners.
METHODS: Three focus groups were held, comprising a convenience sample of 10 practice nurses and 17 allied health professionals from south-east Melbourne.
FINDINGS: FINDINGS were reported under five themes: (1) attitudes and beliefs, (2) communication using care planning documents, (3) electronic communication, (4) care planning and collaboration between healthcare professionals and (5) ongoing challenges.
CONCLUSION: While allied professionals use care planning tools, there is confusion about the extent to which these tools are for the GPs to provide structured care to assist with communication or funding mechanisms for allied health services. Further research is needed on the contributions of these groups to the care planning process and how communication and collaboration between healthcare professionals can be strengthened.