Collaboration between information exchange between physiotherapists in primary and specialist health services – a systematic coproduction

Abstract

Purpose: It appears to be inadequate communication and a lack of information transfer between physiotherapists in the specialist (SH) and primary health services (PH). This project aimed to develop and test recommendations for the content of discharge summaries and routines to improve communication. Method: A working group was established with physiotherapists from SH and PH with diverse backgrounds and areas of responsibility. Through co-production, they developed templates with recommendations for the content of discharge summaries. These templates were tested in practice and evaluated by clinicians. Findings: Challenges and expectations were revealed in the interaction between physiotherapists in SH and PH. Each topic was discussed, resulting in the creation of discharge summary templates, along with guidelines for their use. The results showed that the discharge summary templates contributed to a more comprehensive service. However, several physiotherapists reported that differences in digital solutions were a major challenge. Conclusion: Our experience indicates that co-production can be a useful method for identifying and highlighting clinical challenges, generating new understandings, ideas and a sense of ownership, and applicable solutions for clinical practice. We believe that the template can be used by physiotherapists with similar needs.

Keywords

• coproduction
• participatory action research
• communication
• discharge summary
• service integration
• implementation
• evaluation