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Moloi H, Daniels K, Brooke-Sumner C, Cooper S, Odendaal WA, Thorne M, Akama E, Leon N. Healthcare workers' perceptions and experiences of primary healthcare integration: a scoping review of qualitative evidence. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023; 7:CD013603. [PMID: 37466272 PMCID: PMC10355136 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd013603.pub3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Primary healthcare (PHC) integration has been promoted globally as a tool for health sector reform and universal health coverage (UHC), especially in low-resource settings. However, for a range of reasons, implementation and impact remain variable. PHC integration, at its simplest, can be considered a way of delivering PHC services together that sometimes have been delivered as a series of separate or 'vertical' health programmes. Healthcare workers are known to shape the success of implementing reform interventions. Understanding healthcare worker perceptions and experiences of PHC integration can therefore provide insights into the role healthcare workers play in shaping implementation efforts and the impact of PHC integration. However, the heterogeneity of the evidence base complicates our understanding of their role in shaping the implementation, delivery, and impact of PHC integration, and the role of contextual factors influencing their responses. OBJECTIVES To map the qualitative literature on healthcare workers' perceptions and experiences of PHC integration to characterise the evidence base, with a view to better inform future syntheses on the topic. SEARCH METHODS We used standard, extensive Cochrane search methods. The latest search date was 28 July 2020. We did not search for grey literature due to the many published records identified. SELECTION CRITERIA We included studies with qualitative and mixed methods designs that reported on healthcare worker perceptions and experiences of PHC integration from any country. We excluded settings other than PHC and community-based health care, participants other than healthcare workers, and interventions broader than healthcare services. We used translation support from colleagues and Google Translate software to screen non-English records. Where translation was not feasible we categorised these records as studies awaiting classification. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS For data extraction, we used a customised data extraction form containing items developed using inductive and deductive approaches. We performed independent extraction in duplicate for a sample on 10% of studies allowed for sufficient agreement to be reached between review authors. We analysed extracted data quantitatively by counting the number of studies per indicator and converting these into proportions with additional qualitative descriptive information. Indicators included descriptions of study methods, country setting, intervention type, scope and strategies, implementing healthcare workers, and client target population. MAIN RESULTS The review included 184 studies for analysis based on 191 included papers. Most studies were published in the last 12 years, with a sharp increase in the last five years. Studies mostly employed methods with cross-sectional qualitative design (mainly interviews and focus group discussions), and few used longitudinal or ethnographic (or both) designs. Studies covered 37 countries, with close to an even split in the proportions of high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There were gaps in the geographical spread for both HICs and LMICs and some countries were more dominant, such as the USA for HICs, South Africa for middle-income countries, and Uganda for low-income countries. Methods were mainly cross-sectional observational studies with few longitudinal studies. A minority of studies used an analytical conceptual model to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of the integration study. The main finding was the various levels of diversity found in the evidence base on PHC integration studies that examined healthcare workers' perceptions and experiences. The review identified six different configurations of health service streams that were being integrated and these were categorised as: mental and behavioural health; HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and sexual reproductive health; maternal, women, and child health; non-communicable diseases; and two broader categories, namely general PHC services, and allied and specialised services. Within the health streams, the review mapped the scope of the interventions as full or partial integration. The review mapped the use of three different integration strategies and categorised these as horizontal integration, service expansion, and service linkage strategies. The wide range of healthcare workers who participated in the implementation of integration interventions was mapped and these included policymakers, senior managers, middle and frontline managers, clinicians, allied healthcare professionals, lay healthcare workers, and health system support staff. We mapped the range of client target populations. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS This scoping review provides a systematic, descriptive overview of the heterogeneity in qualitative literature on healthcare workers' perceptions and experience of PHC integration, pointing to diversity with regard to country settings; study types; client populations; healthcare worker populations; and intervention focus, scope, and strategies. It would be important for researchers and decision-makers to understand how the diversity in PHC integration intervention design, implementation, and context may influence how healthcare workers shape PHC integration impact. The classification of studies on the various dimensions (e.g. integration focus, scope, strategy, and type of healthcare workers and client populations) can help researchers to navigate the way the literature varies and for specifying potential questions for future qualitative evidence syntheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hlengiwe Moloi
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Carrie Brooke-Sumner
- Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, The South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sara Cooper
- Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Social & Behavioural Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Willem A Odendaal
- HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Eliud Akama
- Center for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Natalie Leon
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Moloi H, Daniels K, Brooke-Sumner C, Cooper S, Odendaal WA, Thorne M, Akama E, Leon N. Healthcare workers' perceptions and experiences of primary healthcare integration: a scoping review of qualitative evidence. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2023; 7:CD013603. [PMID: 37434293 PMCID: PMC10335778 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd013603.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Primary healthcare (PHC) integration has been promoted globally as a tool for health sector reform and universal health coverage (UHC), especially in low-resource settings. However, for a range of reasons, implementation and impact remain variable. PHC integration, at its simplest, can be considered a way of delivering PHC services together that sometimes have been delivered as a series of separate or 'vertical' health programmes. Healthcare workers are known to shape the success of implementing reform interventions. Understanding healthcare worker perceptions and experiences of PHC integration can therefore provide insights into the role healthcare workers play in shaping implementation efforts and the impact of PHC integration. However, the heterogeneity of the evidence base complicates our understanding of their role in shaping the implementation, delivery, and impact of PHC integration, and the role of contextual factors influencing their responses. OBJECTIVES To map the qualitative literature on healthcare workers' perceptions and experiences of PHC integration to characterise the evidence base, with a view to better inform future syntheses on the topic. SEARCH METHODS We used standard, extensive Cochrane search methods. The latest search date was 28 July 2020. We did not search for grey literature due to the many published records identified. SELECTION CRITERIA We included studies with qualitative and mixed methods designs that reported on healthcare worker perceptions and experiences of PHC integration from any country. We excluded settings other than PHC and community-based health care, participants other than healthcare workers, and interventions broader than healthcare services. We used translation support from colleagues and Google Translate software to screen non-English records. Where translation was not feasible we categorised these records as studies awaiting classification. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS For data extraction, we used a customised data extraction form containing items developed using inductive and deductive approaches. We performed independent extraction in duplicate for a sample on 10% of studies allowed for sufficient agreement to be reached between review authors. We analysed extracted data quantitatively by counting the number of studies per indicator and converting these into proportions with additional qualitative descriptive information. Indicators included descriptions of study methods, country setting, intervention type, scope and strategies, implementing healthcare workers, and client target population. MAIN RESULTS The review included 184 studies for analysis based on 191 included papers. Most studies were published in the last 12 years, with a sharp increase in the last five years. Studies mostly employed methods with cross-sectional qualitative design (mainly interviews and focus group discussions), and few used longitudinal or ethnographic (or both) designs. Studies covered 37 countries, with close to an even split in the proportions of high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). There were gaps in the geographical spread for both HICs and LMICs and some countries were more dominant, such as the USA for HICs, South Africa for middle-income countries, and Uganda for low-income countries. Methods were mainly cross-sectional observational studies with few longitudinal studies. A minority of studies used an analytical conceptual model to guide the design, implementation, and evaluation of the integration study. The main finding was the various levels of diversity found in the evidence base on PHC integration studies that examined healthcare workers' perceptions and experiences. The review identified six different configurations of health service streams that were being integrated and these were categorised as: mental and behavioural health; HIV, tuberculosis (TB) and sexual reproductive health; maternal, women, and child health; non-communicable diseases; and two broader categories, namely general PHC services, and allied and specialised services. Within the health streams, the review mapped the scope of the interventions as full or partial integration. The review mapped the use of three different integration strategies and categorised these as horizontal integration, service expansion, and service linkage strategies. The wide range of healthcare workers who participated in the implementation of integration interventions was mapped and these included policymakers, senior managers, middle and frontline managers, clinicians, allied healthcare professionals, lay healthcare workers, and health system support staff. We mapped the range of client target populations. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS This scoping review provides a systematic, descriptive overview of the heterogeneity in qualitative literature on healthcare workers' perceptions and experience of PHC integration, pointing to diversity with regard to country settings; study types; client populations; healthcare worker populations; and intervention focus, scope, and strategies. It would be important for researchers and decision-makers to understand how the diversity in PHC integration intervention design, implementation, and context may influence how healthcare workers shape PHC integration impact. The classification of studies on the various dimensions (e.g. integration focus, scope, strategy, and type of healthcare workers and client populations) can help researchers to navigate the way the literature varies and for specifying potential questions for future qualitative evidence syntheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hlengiwe Moloi
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Carrie Brooke-Sumner
- Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drug Research Unit, The South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sara Cooper
- Cochrane South Africa, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Social & Behavioural Sciences Division, School of Public Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Willem A Odendaal
- HIV and Other Infectious Diseases Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Eliud Akama
- Center for Microbiology Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Natalie Leon
- Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
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Abstract
Accumulating evidence documenting the high percentage of patients who first discuss mental health needs with their primary care physician has accelerated the integration of physical and mental health care to a national priority. Several models have been developed describing how health care settings can integrate physical and mental health care and how training programs might better prepare clinicians to work in integrated behavioral health care settings. This article explores models of integrated behavioral health, highlights contributions of social work and psychology, and describes the training and experiences of social workers and psychologists working in integrated behavioral health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark S Barajas
- Department of Psychology, Saint Mary's College of California, 1928 St Mary's Road, Moraga, CA 94575, USA.
| | - Derrick Bines
- Department of Counseling, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, Burk Hall, Room 524, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
| | - Jason Straussman
- Tang Counseling Center, University of California, 2222 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Perrin PB, Elliott TR. Setting Our Sails: Counseling Psychology in the Age of Integrated Health Care. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/0011000019895493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Counseling psychology has a documented ability to adapt to the winds of societal, market, and professional change. Adjusting our sails to the winds of integrated care will require realizing that (a) the value systems and approaches that define our field compel us to become more involved in the movement and (b) we have the requisite expertise to do so. This article echoes the others in this Major Contribution highlighting the importance of interprofessional training for counseling psychologists and the need for integrated care professional role models. Barriers to involvement in integrated care for counseling psychologists include time and effort without institutional support, integrated care being seen as on the fringe of the field, limited training in evidence-based practices, and hesitance to move into integrated care clinics despite their high proportion of underserved patient populations. Integrated care is an incredible opportunity for counseling psychology to draw on its historical strengths and be a flagship of this paradigm shift.
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Tucker CM, Roncoroni J, Buki LP. Counseling Psychologists and Behavioral Health: Promoting Mental and Physical Health Outcomes. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/0011000019896784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of The Counseling Psychologist, we reflect on the many contributions that counseling psychologists have made and are poised to make in the areas of behavioral health and behavioral health care. We note that psychologists’ engagement in health promotion and prevention of behavioral, mental, and emotional disorders is consistent with counseling psychology values. We provide a concise review of theories that are widely applied in behavioral health contexts and discuss ways in which counseling psychologists may apply these theories to help ameliorate health disparities, empower communities to take control of their own health, and promote social justice. In addition, we highlight the need to create interdisciplinary partnerships to conduct culturally sensitive research on the bi-directional relationship between mental health and physical health. The article ends with wide-ranging implications and recommendations for theory development, research, training, practice, and advocacy.
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Integrated Health Care and Counseling Psychology: An Introduction to the Major Contribution. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/0011000019896795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Integrated health care is playing an increasingly important role in the U.S. health care system by improving coordination of care and reducing health disparities and cost. Despite its promise, the field of counseling psychology has been slow in responding to this trend and in preparing its future workforce for this health care modality. In a series of articles, in this Major Contribution we highlight (a) the rise and benefits of integrated health care; (b) two counseling psychology programs’ training models and assessment methods for preparing their students for careers in integrated health care; and (c) the experiences, satisfaction, and challenges of counseling psychologists working in integrated health care settings.
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Boland DH, Juntunen CL, Kim HY, Adams EM, Navarro RL. Integrated Behavioral Health Curriculum in Counseling Psychology Training Programs. COUNSELING PSYCHOLOGIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/0011000019895293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Effective training in integrated behavioral health requires systematic, interprofessional education that is anchored in competencies. We describe core learning objectives, competencies, and strategies for assessing counseling psychology trainees in integrated health care settings. Two programs that have transformed their training to emphasize interprofessional and primary care competencies of psychological practice are presented, along with their training goals and didactic and experiential curricular activities. We describe the assessment of student learning, accompanied by program adjustments implemented to improve student outcomes. We conclude with a call for counseling psychologists to ensure student competency development as members of the interprofessional health care workforce.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daubney H. Boland
- Southern New Mexico Family Medicine Residency Program, Las Cruces, NM, USA
| | | | - Helen Y. Kim
- New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
| | - Eve M. Adams
- New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
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