Typology of organizational innovation components: building blocks to improve access to primary healthcare for vulnerable populations

• Published in: International journal for equity in health 2020-10, Vol.19 (1), p.174-17, Article 174
• Main Authors: Smithman, Mélanie Ann, Descôteaux, Sarah, Dionne, Émilie, Richard, Lauralie, Breton, Mylaine, Khanassov, Vladimir, Haggerty, Jeannie L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access; Accessibility; Analysis; Case management; Chronic diseases; Chronic illnesses; Community health aides; Decision making; Design; Ethnic factors; Ethnic groups; Handicapped accessibility; Health care; Health care costs; Health care expenditures; Health care reform; Health care services accessibility; Health services; Health services accessibility; Health Services Accessibility - organization & administration; Homeless people; Homelessness; Humans; Illnesses; Innovations; Low income groups; Marginality; Mental disorders; Migrants; Minority & ethnic groups; Minority groups; Multiple classification analyses; Native peoples; Needs; Organizational change; Organizational Innovation; Patients; Polls & surveys; Populations; Primary care; Primary groups; Primary health care; Primary Health Care - organization & administration; Primary healthcare; Refugees; Social networks; Social organization; Taxonomy; Typological analysis; Typology; Vulnerability; Vulnerable population; Vulnerable Populations
• ISSN: 1475-9276; 1475-9276
• DOI: 10.1186/s12939-020-01263-8

Achieving equity of access to primary healthcare requires organizations to implement innovations tailored to the specific needs and abilities of vulnerable populations. However, designing pro-vulnerable innovations is challenging without knowledge of the range of possible innovations tailored to vulnerable populations' needs. To better support decision-makers, we aimed to develop a typology of pro-vulnerable organizational innovation components - akin to "building blocks" that could be combined in different ways into new complex innovations or added to existing organizational processes to improve access to primary healthcare. To develop the typology, we used data from a previously conducted a) scoping review (2000-2014, searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, citation tracking, n = 90 articles selected), and b) environmental scan (2014, online survey via social networks, n = 240 innovations). We conducted a typological analysis of the data. Our initial typology yielded 48 components, classified according to accessibility dimensions from the Patient-Centred Accessibility Framework. The initial typology was then field-tested for relevance and usability by health system stakeholders and refined from 2014 to 2018 (e.g., combined similar components, excluded non-organizational components). The selected articles (n = 90 studies) and survey responses (n = 240 innovations) were mostly from the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK. Innovations targeted populations with various vulnerabilities (e.g., low income, chronic illness, Indigenous, homeless, migrants, refugees, ethnic minorities, uninsured, marginalized groups, mental illness, etc.). Our final typology had 18 components of organizational innovations, which principally addressed Availability & Accommodation (7/18), Approachability (6/18), and Acceptability (3/18). Components included navigation & information, community health worker, one-stop-shop, case management, group visits, defraying costs, primary healthcare brokerage, etc. CONCLUSIONS: This typology offers a comprehensive menu of potential components that can help inform the design of pro-vulnerable organizational innovations. Component classification according to the accessibility dimensions of the Patient-Centred Accessibility Framework is useful to help target access needs. Components can be combined into complex innovations or added to existing organizational processes to meet the access needs of vulnerable populations in specific contexts.