Rachelle Ashcroft1, Matthew Menear2, Andrea Greenblatt1, Jose Silveira3, Simone Dahrouge4, Nadiya Sunderji5, Monica Emode6, Jocelyn Booton1, Marvelous Muchenje1, Rachel Cooper7, Asante Haughton8, Kwame McKenzie9. 1. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 2. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec, Quebec, Canada. 3. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 4. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada. 5. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. 6. School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. 7. Center for Bioethics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. 8. Stella's Place, Toronto, ON, Canada. 9. Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto I, Wellesley Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Widespread policy reforms in Canada, the United States and elsewhere over the last two decades strengthened team models of primary care by bringing together family physicians and nurse practitioners with a range of mental health and other interdisciplinary providers. Understanding how patients with depression and anxiety experience newer team-based models of care delivery is essential to explore whether the intended impact of these reforms is achieved, identify gaps that remain and provide direction on strengthening the quality of mental health care. OBJECTIVE: The main study objective was to understand patients' perspectives on the quality of care that they received for anxiety and depression in primary care teams. METHODS: This was a qualitative study, informed by constructivist grounded theory. We conducted focus groups and individual interviews with primary care patients about their experiences with mental health care. Focus groups and individual interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Grounded theory guided an inductive analysis of the data. RESULTS: Forty patients participated in the study: 31 participated in one of four focus groups, and nine completed an individual interview. Participants in our study described their experiences with mental health care across four themes: accessibility, technical care, trusting relationships and meeting diverse needs. CONCLUSION: Greater attention by policymakers is needed to strengthen integrated collaborative practices in primary care so that patients have similar access to mental health services across different primary care practices, and smoother continuity of care across sectors. The research team is comprised of individuals with lived experience of mental health who have participated in all aspects of the research process.
BACKGROUND: Widespread policy reforms in Canada, the United States and elsewhere over the last two decades strengthened team models of primary care by bringing together family physicians and nurse practitioners with a range of mental health and other interdisciplinary providers. Understanding how patients with depression and anxiety experience newer team-based models of care delivery is essential to explore whether the intended impact of these reforms is achieved, identify gaps that remain and provide direction on strengthening the quality of mental health care. OBJECTIVE: The main study objective was to understand patients' perspectives on the quality of care that they received for anxiety and depression in primary care teams. METHODS: This was a qualitative study, informed by constructivist grounded theory. We conducted focus groups and individual interviews with primary care patients about their experiences with mental health care. Focus groups and individual interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Grounded theory guided an inductive analysis of the data. RESULTS: Forty patients participated in the study: 31 participated in one of four focus groups, and nine completed an individual interview. Participants in our study described their experiences with mental health care across four themes: accessibility, technical care, trusting relationships and meeting diverse needs. CONCLUSION: Greater attention by policymakers is needed to strengthen integrated collaborative practices in primary care so that patients have similar access to mental health services across different primary care practices, and smoother continuity of care across sectors. The research team is comprised of individuals with lived experience of mental health who have participated in all aspects of the research process.
Authors: Valle Coronado-Vázquez; María Josefa Gil-de-Gómez; Eva Rodríguez-Eguizábal; Bárbara Oliván-Blázquez; Juan Gómez-Salgado; Rosa Magallón-Botaya; María Antonia Sánchez-Calavera Journal: BMC Health Serv Res Date: 2022-01-31 Impact factor: 2.655