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. 2021 Nov;17(2):72-89.
doi: 10.12927/hcpol.2021.26656.

The Delivery of Patient Care in Ontario's Family Health Teams during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rachelle Ashcroft  1 , Catherine Donnelly  2 , Sandeep Gill  3 , Maya Dancey  4 , Simon Lam  5 , Allan K Grill  6 , Kavita Mehta  7
Affiliations

The Delivery of Patient Care in Ontario's Family Health Teams during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rachelle Ashcroft et al. Healthc Policy. 2021 Nov.

Abstract
in English, French

Objective: The objective of this paper was to identify continuations and changes in care delivery methods in primary care teams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design: The study used a cross-sectional, web-based survey comprising close-ended and open-ended questions.

Setting: The setting comprised family health teams (FHTs) across Ontario, Canada.

Participants: The participants included executive directors of FHTs or designates of their choosing.

Survey: Descriptive statistics were derived from responses to close-ended questions, and responses to open-ended questions were coded using thematic analysis.

Results: With 93 participants, the response rate was 48%. Participants reported the continuation of in-person care, the implementation of virtual care across FHTs and collaboration within these teams and their communities.

Objectif:: L'objectif de cet article était d'identifier la continuation et les changements dans les méthodes de prestation de soins au sein des équipes de soins primaires pendant la pandémie de COVID-19.

Conception:: L'étude a consisté en une enquête transversale en ligne comprenant des questions fermées et ouvertes.

Milieu:: Le milieu concerné comprenait des équipes Santé familiale (ESF) en Ontario, au Canada.

Participants:: Les participants comprenaient des directeurs administratifs d'ESF ou les personnes désignées de leur choix.

Enquête:: Les statistiques descriptives ont été dérivées à partir des réponses aux questions fermées, et les réponses aux questions ouvertes ont été codées à l'aide d'une analyse thématique.

Résultats:: Avec 93 participants, le taux de réponse était de 48 %. Les participants ont fait état de la continuation des soins en personne, de la mise en œuvre des soins virtuels dans les ESF et de la collaboration au sein des équipes et de leurs communautés.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Type of care provided as in-person appointments during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Types of providers in primary care who conducted in-person appointments, home visits and wellness checks via telephone during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The top three modalities of patient care used before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Types of patient encounter-related reasons considered optimal for virtual care beyond the COVID-19 pandemic
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Ashcroft R., Donnelly C., Dancey M., Gill S., Lam S., Kourgiantakis T. et al. 2021a. Primary Care Teams' Experiences of Delivering Mental Health Care during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study. BMC Family Practice 22: 143. doi:10.1186/s12875-021-01496-8. - PMC - PubMed
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