Qualitative examination of collaboration in team-based primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to describe Ontario primary care teams’ experiences with collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive qualitative methods using focus groups conducted virtually for data collection.SettingPrimary care teams located in Ontario, Canada.ParticipantsOu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMJ open 2023-02, Vol.13 (2), p.e067208
Main Authors: Ashcroft, Rachelle, Donnelly, Catherine, Lam, Simon, Kourgiantakis, Toula, Adamson, Keith, Verilli, David, Dolovich, Lisa, Sheffield, Peter, Kirvan, Anne, Dancey, Maya, Gill, Sandeep, Mehta, Kavita, Sur, Deepy, Brown, Judith Belle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collaboration
COVID-19
COVID-19 - epidemiology
Drug stores
Humans
Interprofessional Relations
Medical research
Mental disorders
Mental health
Nurse practitioners
Nurses
Ontario - epidemiology
Pandemics
Patient Care Team
Patients
PRIMARY CARE
Primary Health Care - methods
Qualitative Research
Research design
Teams
Verbal communication
Well being
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Summary:ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to describe Ontario primary care teams’ experiences with collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive qualitative methods using focus groups conducted virtually for data collection.SettingPrimary care teams located in Ontario, Canada.ParticipantsOur study conducted 11 focus groups with 10 primary care teams, with a total of 48 participants reflecting a diverse range of interprofessional healthcare providers and administrators working in primary care.ResultsThree themes were identified using thematic analysis: (1) prepandemic team functioning facilitated adaptation, (2) new processes of team interactions and collaboration, and (3) team as a foundation of support.ConclusionsResults revealed the importance of collaboration for provider well-being, and the challenges of providing collaborative team-based primary care in the pandemic context. Caution against converting primary care collaboration to predominantly virtual modalities postpandemic is recommended. Further research on team functioning during the COVID-19 pandemic in other healthcare organisations will offer additional insight regarding how primary care teams can work collaboratively in a postpandemic environment.
ISSN:2044-6055
2044-6055
DOI:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-067208