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Isenor JE, Cossette B, Murphy AL, Breton M, Mathews M, Moritz LR, Buote R, McCarthy L, Woodill L, Morrison B, Guénette L, Marshall EG. Community pharmacists' expanding roles in supporting patients before and during COVID-19: An exploratory qualitative study. Int J Clin Pharm 2023; 45:64-78. [PMID: 36289174 PMCID: PMC9607833 DOI: 10.1007/s11096-022-01430-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Timely access and attachment to a primary healthcare provider is associated with better population health outcomes. In Canada, community pharmacists are highly accessible and patients struggling to access a family physician or nurse practitioner (i.e., "unattached") may seek care from a community pharmacist. Community pharmacists took on additional roles during the COVID-19 pandemic; however, little is known about how community pharmacists managed the needs of attached and unattached patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. AIM To describe Nova Scotian community pharmacists' roles in caring for unattached patients before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifying barriers and facilitators to optimizing patient access. METHOD Semi-structured interviews with community pharmacists (n = 11) across the province of Nova Scotia (Canada) were conducted. RESULTS Five key themes were noted: (1) rising pressure on pharmacists to meet unique health needs of attached and unattached patients; (2) what pharmacists have to offer (e.g., accessibility, trustworthiness); (3) positioning pharmacists in the system (e.g., how pharmacists can address gaps in primary healthcare); (4) pharmacist wellbeing; and, (5) recommendations for practice post-pandemic (e.g., maintain some policy changes made during the COVID-19 pandemic). CONCLUSION Before and during the pandemic, community pharmacists played a significant and increasing role providing care to patients, especially unattached patients. With growing numbers of unattached patients, it is vital that community pharmacists are supported to provide services to care for the health needs of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. Isenor
- grid.55602.340000 0004 1936 8200College of Pharmacy and Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Benoit Cossette
- grid.86715.3d0000 0000 9064 6198Department of Community Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, Canada
| | - Andrea L. Murphy
- grid.55602.340000 0004 1936 8200College of Pharmacy and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Mylaine Breton
- grid.86715.3d0000 0000 9064 6198Department of Community Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Longueuil, Canada
| | - Maria Mathews
- grid.39381.300000 0004 1936 8884Department of Family Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Canada
| | - Lauren R. Moritz
- grid.55602.340000 0004 1936 8200Primary Care Research Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Richard Buote
- grid.55602.340000 0004 1936 8200Primary Care Research Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Lisa McCarthy
- grid.417293.a0000 0004 0459 7334Institute for Better Health, Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON Canada ,grid.17063.330000 0001 2157 2938Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON Canada
| | - Lisa Woodill
- Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, Dartmouth, NS Canada
| | - Bobbi Morrison
- grid.264060.60000 0004 1936 7363St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, NS Canada
| | - Line Guénette
- grid.23856.3a0000 0004 1936 8390Faculty of Pharmacy and CHU de Québec Research Centre, Université Laval, Québec, QC Canada ,grid.23856.3a0000 0004 1936 8390Faculty of Pharmacy, Université Laval, Québec, QC Canada
| | - Emily Gard Marshall
- Primary Care Research Unit, Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada.
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Breton M, Marshall EG, Deslauriers V, Smithman MA, Moritz LR, Buote R, Morrison B, Christian EK, McKay M, Stringer K, Godard-Sebillotte C, Sourial N, Laberge M, MacKenzie A, Isenor JE, Duhoux A, Ashcroft R, Mathews M, Cossette B, Hudon C, McDougall B, Guénette L, Kirkwood R, Green ME. COVID-19 - an opportunity to improve access to primary care through organizational innovations? A qualitative multiple case study in Quebec and Nova Scotia (Canada). BMC Health Serv Res 2022; 22:759. [PMID: 35676668 PMCID: PMC9177136 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08140-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND COVID-19 catalyzed a rapid and substantial reorganization of primary care, accelerating the spread of existing strategies and fostering a proliferation of innovations. Access to primary care is an essential component of a healthcare system, particularly during a pandemic. We describe organizational innovations aiming to improve access to primary care and related contextual changes during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in two Canadian provinces, Quebec and Nova Scotia. METHODS We conducted a multiple case study based on 63 semi-structured interviews (n = 33 in Quebec, n = 30 in Nova Scotia) conducted between October 2020 and May 2021 and 71 documents from both jurisdictions. We recruited a diverse range of provincial and regional stakeholders (e.g., policy-makers, decision-makers, family physicians, nurses) involved in reorganizing primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic using purposeful sampling (e.g., based on role, region). Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was conducted in NVivo12. Emerging results were discussed by team members to identify salient themes and organized into logic models. RESULTS We identified and analyzed six organizational innovations. Four of these - centralized public online booking systems, centralized access centers for unattached patients, interim primary care clinics for unattached patients, and a community connector to health and social services for older adults - pre-dated COVID-19 but were accelerated by the pandemic context. The remaining two innovations were created to specifically address pandemic-related needs: COVID-19 hotlines and COVID-dedicated primary healthcare clinics. Innovation spread and proliferation was influenced by several factors, such as a strengthened sense of community amongst providers, decreased patient demand at the beginning of the first wave, renewed policy and provider interest in population-wide access (versus attachment of patients only), suspended performance targets (e.g., continuity ≥80%) in Quebec, modality of care delivery, modified fee codes, and greater regional flexibility to implement tailored innovations. CONCLUSION COVID-19 accelerated the uptake and creation of organizational innovations to potentially improve access to primary healthcare, removing, at least temporarily, certain longstanding barriers. Many stakeholders believed this reorganization would have positive impacts on access to primary care after the pandemic. Further studies should analyze the effectiveness and sustainability of innovations adapted, developed, and implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rhonda Kirkwood
- College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, Bedford, Canada
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Spagnolo J, Breton M, Sasseville M, Sauvé C, Clément JF, Fleet R, Tremblay MC, Rodrigue C, Lebel C, Beauséjour M. Exploring the implementation and underlying mechanisms of centralized referral systems to access specialized health services in Quebec. BMC Health Serv Res 2021; 21:1345. [PMID: 34915871 PMCID: PMC8674406 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-07286-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In 2016, Quebec, a Canadian province, implemented a program to improve access to specialized health services (Accès priorisé aux services spécialisés (APSS)), which includes single regional access points for processing requests to such services via primary care (Centre de répartition des demandes de services (CRDS)). Family physicians fill out and submit requests for initial consultations with specialists using a standardized form with predefined prioritization levels according to listed reasons for consultations, which is then sent to the centralized referral system (the CRDS) where consultations with specialists are assigned. We 1) described the APSS-CRDS program in three Quebec regions using logic models; 2) compared similarities and differences in the components and processes of the APSS-CRDS models; and 3) explored contextual factors influencing the models' similarities and differences. METHODS We relied on a qualitative study to develop logic models of the implemented APSS-CRDS program in three regions. Semi-structured interviews with health administrators (n = 9) were conducted. The interviews were analysed using a framework analysis approach according to the APSS-CRDS's components included in the initially designed program, Mitchell and Lewis (2003)'s logic model framework, and Chaudoir and colleagues (2013)'s framework on contextual factors' influence on an innovation's implementation. RESULTS Findings show the APSS-CRDS program's regional variability in the implementation of its components, including its structure (centralized/decentralized), human resources involved in implementation and operation, processes to obtain specialists' availability and assess/relay requests, as well as monitoring methods. Variability may be explained by contextual factors' influence, like ministerial and medical associations' involvement, collaborations, the context's implementation readiness, physician practice characteristics, and the program's adaptability. INTERPRETATION Findings are useful to inform decision-makers on the design of programs like the APSS-CRDS, which aim to improve access to specialists, the essential components for the design of these types of interventions, and how contextual factors may influence program implementation. Variability in program design is important to consider as it may influence anticipated effects, a next step for the research team. Results may also inform stakeholders should they wish to implement similar programs to increase access to specialized health services via primary care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Spagnolo
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 150, Place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada.,Centre de recherche Charles-LeMoyne, Université de Sherbrooke - Campus Longueuil, 150, place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada
| | - Mylaine Breton
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 150, Place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada.,Centre de recherche Charles-LeMoyne, Université de Sherbrooke - Campus Longueuil, 150, place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada
| | - Martin Sasseville
- Centre de recherche Charles-LeMoyne, Université de Sherbrooke - Campus Longueuil, 150, place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada
| | - Carine Sauvé
- Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de la Montérégie-Centre, 3141 Boulevard Taschereau Bureau 220, Greenfield Park, QC, J4V 2H2, Canada
| | - Jean-François Clément
- Centre de recherche Charles-LeMoyne, Université de Sherbrooke - Campus Longueuil, 150, place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada.,Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Boulevard de l'Université, Sherbrooke, QC, J1K 2R1, Canada
| | - Richard Fleet
- Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Pavillon Ferdinand-Vandry, 1050, Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.,Centre de recherche en santé durable, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale, Pavillon Landry-Poulin, 2525 chemin de la Canardière, Québec, QC, G1J 0A4, Canada
| | - Marie-Claude Tremblay
- Department of Family and Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Pavillon Ferdinand-Vandry, 1050, Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.,Centre de recherche en santé durable, Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale, Pavillon Landry-Poulin, 2525 chemin de la Canardière, Québec, QC, G1J 0A4, Canada
| | - Cloé Rodrigue
- Centre de recherche Charles-LeMoyne, Université de Sherbrooke - Campus Longueuil, 150, place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada.,Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux (CISSS) de la Montérégie-Centre, 3141 Boulevard Taschereau Bureau 220, Greenfield Park, QC, J4V 2H2, Canada
| | - Camille Lebel
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, C.P, 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Marie Beauséjour
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, 150, Place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada. .,Centre de recherche Charles-LeMoyne, Université de Sherbrooke - Campus Longueuil, 150, place Charles-Le Moyne, C. P. 200, Longueuil, QC, J4K 0A8, Canada. .,Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Montréal, C.P, 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.
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