Perceptions of older adults in Ontario, Canada on the implementation and impact of a primary care programme, Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality (Health TAPESTRY): a descriptive qualitative study

Abstract

ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of older adults on the implementation and impact of Health Teams Advancing Patient Experience: Strengthening Quality (Health TAPESTRY), a multicomponent primary care programme that seeks to improve care coordination for individuals through health-related goal-setting supported by trained lay volunteers who are an extension of an interprofessional team, and the use of technology to support communication among the team.DesignThis study used a qualitative descriptive design.SettingThe setting for this study was two primary care practice sites located in a large urban area in Ontario, Canada.ParticipantsThe sample consisted of community-dwelling older adults aged 70 years and older. Participants were recruited from a convenience sample obtained from 360 clients who participated in the 12-month Health TAPESTRY randomised controlled trial.MethodsSemistructured interviews were conducted with 32 older adults either face-to-face or by telephone. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using a constant comparative approach to develop themes.ResultsOlder adults’ perceptions about the Health TAPESTRY programme included (1) the lack of a clear purpose and understanding of how information was shared among providers, (2) mixed positive and negative perceptions of goal-setting and provider follow-up after inhome visits by volunteers, (3) positive impacts such as satisfaction with the primary care team, and (4) the potential for the programme to become a regular programme and applied to other communities and groups.ConclusionsOlder adults living in the community may benefit from greater primary care support provided through enhanced team-based approaches. Programmes such as Health TAPESTRY facilitate opportunities for older adults to work with primary care providers to meet their self-identified needs. By exploring perceptions of clients, primary care programmes can be further refined and expanded for various populations.