Cette étude a sondé 46 médecins de famille québécois quant à leurs pratiques pour l’évaluation et le dépistage des conducteurs à risque afin 1) de mieux comprendre leur niveau de compétence perçu; 2) de recenser les difficultés rencontrées dans le processus de prise de décision et 3) de documenter leurs besoins et attitudes quant à une collaboration plus étroite avec les ergothérapeutes. Les participants (femmes : 84,8 %; moyenne d’expérience : 15,7 (±12,1) ans) ont répondu à un sondage en ligne de 30 questions. Les résultats de cette étude démontrent que malgré un certain confort à effectuer l’évaluation et le dépistage des conducteurs à risque, les médecins ne se considèrent pas comme les professionnels les mieux qualifiés pour ce faire. Ils reconnaissent également le rôle que jouent les ergothérapeutes dans le dépistage de cette clientèle et l’intervention auprès d’elle. Ils voient ainsi la pertinence d’avoir accès aux services de ces professionnels en soins de première ligne.

If interRAI home care information were shared with primary care providers, care provision and integration could be enhanced. The objective of this study was to co-develop an interRAI-based clinical information sharing tool (i.e., the Patient Falls Risk Report) with a sample of primary care providers. This mixed-methods study employed semi-structured interviews to inform the development of the Patient Falls Risk Report and online surveys based on the System Usability Scale instrument to test its usability. Most of the interview sample (n = 9) believed that the report could support patient care by sharing relevant and actionable falls-related information. However, criticisms were identified, including insufficient detail, clarity, and support for shared care planning. After incorporating suggestions for improvement, the survey sample (n = 27) determined that the report had excellent usability with an overall usability score of 83.4 (95% CI = 78.7–88.2). By prioritizing the needs of end-users, sustainable interRAI interventions can be developed to support primary care.

Dementia is a growing concern in Canada, affecting peoples’ health and raising the cost of care. Between June and October 2019, we conducted an environmental scan to identify primary care models, strategies, and resources for dementia care from 11 pre-selected countries and assess their impact on quality-of-life measures. Search strategies included a rapid scoping review, grey literature search, and discussions with stakeholders. Eighteen primary care-based models of dementia care were identified. Common factors include team-based care, centralized care/case coordination, individual treatment plans, a stepped-care approach, and support for care partners. Five provinces had released a dementia strategy. Evidence of positive outcomes supported primary care-based models for dementia care, although only one model demonstrated evidence of impact on quality of life. Although these findings are encouraging, further research is needed to identify primary care-based models of dementia care that demonstrably improve quality of life for people living with dementia and their care partners.

A palliative approach to care aims to meet the needs of patients and caregivers throughout a chronic disease trajectory and can be delivered by non-palliative specialists. There is an important gap in understanding the perspectives and experiences of primary care providers on an integrated palliative approach in dementia care and the impact of existing programs and models to this end. To address these, we undertook a scoping review. We searched five databases; and used descriptive numerical summary and narrative synthesizing approaches for data analysis. We found that: (1) difficulty with prognostication and a lack of interdisciplinary and intersectoral collaboration are obstacles to using a palliative approach in primary care; and (2) a palliative approach results in statistically and clinically significant impacts on community-dwelling individuals, specifically those with later stages of dementia. There is a need for high-quality research studies examining the integrated palliative approach models and initiation of these models sooner in the care trajectory for persons living with mild and moderate stages of dementia in the community.

This study explored whether working within Multispecialty INterprofessional Team (MINT) memory clinics has an impact on health care professionals’ perceptions of the challenges, attitudes, and level of collaboration associated with providing dementia care. Surveys were completed by MINT memory clinic members pre- and 6-months post-clinic launch. A total of 228 pre-and-post-training surveys were matched for analysis. After working in the MINT memory clinics for 6 months, there were significant reductions in mean ratings of the level of challenge associated with various aspects of dementia care, and significant increases in the frequency with which respondents experienced enthusiasm, inspiration, and pride in their work in dementia care and in ratings of the extent of collaboration for dementia care. This study provides some insights into the effect of collaborative, interprofessional approaches on health care professionals’ perceptions of the challenges and attitudes associated with providing dementia care and level of collaboration with other health professionals.

Case-Finding for Complex Chronic Conditions in Seniors 75+ (C5-75) is a systematic approach to identify frailty using gait speed and hand-grip strength and to screen for co-morbid conditions. We identified the C5-75 features offering the highest yield for identifying frailty and to streamline the screening program. Analyses included 1,948 C5-75 assessments completed from 2013 to 2018. Age 85 or older, less than regular physical activity, and more than two falls in the previous six months had the strongest associations with frailty. Exempting patients under 85 who reported regular physical activity and less than two falls excluded 39.1 per cent of the cohort while maintaining a sensitivity of 95.2 per cent and a negative predictive value of 99.4 per cent for frailty. These findings provide insight into optimizing screening for frailty, making it more feasible to implement and to identify co-existing conditions that may contribute to or be affected by frailty.

Approximately 30 per cent of those over the age of 65 living in the community fall at least once each year, and a similar proportion are at nutrition risk. Screening is an important component of prevention. The objective of this study was to understand how to add nutrition risk screening to a falls risk screening program in family health teams (FHTs). Interview participants (n = 31) were staff/management, regional representatives, and clients from six FHTs that had started integrating screening. Thematic analysis was conducted. Themes identified how to develop screening programs: setting up for successful screening, making it work, and following up with risk. An overarching theme recognized “it’s about building relationships”. Adding nutrition risk to a falls risk screening program takes effort, and is different for each FHT based on their work flow and client population. Determining how to integrate screening into the work flow and planning to address identified risk are necessary components.

Canadian family physicians (FPs) and home health staff (HHS) experience significant barriers to patient-related collaboration about patients they share. This mixed-methods study sought to determine the quality and sustainability of secure audio conferencing as a way to increase care planning about shared patients. Primary data sources included pre-and post-study administration of a published survey and post-study semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Non-parametric statistical procedures were used to analyze survey results and thematic content analysis was undertaken for qualitative data. Results from both quantitative and qualitative analysis were integrated into the overall analysis, in order to draw inferences reflecting both approaches to barriers and benefits of collaborative care planning for FPs and HHS. Both FPs and HHS provided evidence that structural barriers impede their ability to collaborate. HHS and FPs also agreed that joint conferences were beneficial for patients, and that the use of audio conferencing provided an efficient method of collaborative care planning. Limitations included a small sample size and short timeline for the intervention period, given the magnitude of the expected change.

Our pilot study evaluated the feasibility, effectiveness, and implementation of a group-based lifestyle-integrated functional exercise (Mi-LiFE) program for older adults in an interprofessional primary care practice. A physical therapist taught participants how to integrate strength and balance activities into daily routines during one individual and four group sessions, and two follow-up phone calls. Feasibility outcomes were recruitment, adherence, and retention over 6 months. Physical activity (PA) (accelerometer, International Physical Activity Questionnaire [IPAQ]), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and health-related quality of life (EuroQol Five-Dimensional Questionnaire with 3 Levels [EQ5D-3L]) were evaluated at baseline and 6 months. Of the 123 eligible individuals, 39 per cent participated and 61 per cent were not interested or unreachable. Forty-eight participants (mean ± standard deviation [SD] age = 81 ± 5 years; body mass index [BMI] = 28 ± 5 kg/m2; 60% women; moderate-to-vigorous PA = 49 ± 87 minutes/week) enrolled. Four participants withdrew prior to intervention. Thirty-two participants (67%) were retained at follow-up. Daily diary-documented adherence was 50 per cent at 6 months, and 77 per cent attended more than four sessions. No statistically significant changes in moderate-to-vigorous PA and SPPB outcomes were observed; yet self-reported strength and balance PA and quality of life significantly improved at follow-up. The Mi-LiFE program is feasible with acceptable recruitment and attendance rates alongside modifications to address retention and adherence challenges. These findings inform the feasibility of future pragmatic exercise programs in primary care for older adults.

Aging and immigration have significantly shaped the population composition in Canada, where immigrants make up increasingly large proportions of the older adult population. This scoping review examines the existing knowledge surrounding older immigrants’ access to, and utilization of, primary care physicians, who play a pivotal role in the delivery of primary care, preventive care, and mental health care. We applied Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage framework to search databases for Canadian-based, peer-reviewed English-language articles on the topic and examined 31 articles in detail. Three focus areas emerged: access and utilization of primary care, health promotion and cancer screening, and utilization of mental health services. Older immigrants face intertwining access barriers related to health literacy, language, culture, health beliefs, spatial inequality, and structural circumstances. The review provides a thorough understanding of the status of access to care among older immigrants in Canada, and yields policy implications to address their unmet health needs.