Student-senior isolation prevention partnership: a Canada-wide programme to mitigate social exclusion during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amidst the pandemic, Canada has taken critical steps to curb the transmission of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). A key intervention has been physical distancing. Although physical distancing may protect older adults and other at-risk groups from COVID-19, research suggests quarantine and isolation may worsen mental health. Among older adults, social exclusion and social safety nets are social determinants of health (SDOH) that may be uniquely affected by the COVID-19 physical distancing measures. Health promotion programmes designed to reduce social exclusion and enhance social safety nets are one way to mitigate the potential mental health implications of this pandemic. The Student-Senior Isolation Prevention Partnership (SSIPP) is a student-led, community health promotion initiative that has scaled into a nation-wide effort to improve social connection among older adults. This initiative began with in-person visits and transformed into a tele-intervention guided by health promotion principles due to COVID-19. SSIPP continued to target the SDOH of social exclusion and social safety nets by pairing student volunteers with older adults to engage in weekly phone- and video-based interactions. Informed by the community partnership model by Best et al., SSIPP is built on the three orientations of empowerment, behaviour and organization, which are achieved through cross-disciplinary collaboration. This article reviews the importance of the adaptability of health promotion programmes, such as SSIPP during a pandemic, placing an emphasis on the lessons learned and future steps.

A common way to slow the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is for people to keep their distance from one another. This has led to isolation and loneliness, especially for older adults. The Student­Senior Isolation Prevention Partnership (SSIPP) is a programme developed by students and physicians in Toronto, Canada. The programme pairs student volunteers with older adults for weekly social interactions. These interactions were in-person before COVID-19. Following the physical distancing recommendations as a result of COVID-19, the programme quickly adapted to use phone and video calls instead. Establishing and leveraging key partnerships, identifying a window of opportunity, assessing community-specific needs and creating national manuals and protocols were key factors in facilitating simultaneous expansion across Canada. This article addresses the importance of programmes like SSIPP in preventing negative health impacts associated with loneliness and isolation. The authors also discuss the adaptability of SSIPP, lessons learned for future pandemic efforts and next steps.

Why does continuity of care with family doctors matter? Review and qualitative synthesis of patient and physician perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: To summarize and synthesize qualitative studies that report patient and physician perspectives on continuity of care in family practice. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and PsycInfo (Ovid) were searched for qualitative primary research reporting perspectives of patients, physicians, or both, on continuity of care in family practice. STUDY SELECTION: English-language qualitative studies were selected (eg, interviews, focus groups, mixed methods) that were conducted in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, New Zealand, or Australia. SYNTHESIS: Themes were extracted, summarized, and synthesized. Six overarching themes emerged: continuity of care enables person-centred care; continuity of care increases quality of care; continuity of care leads to greater confidence in medical decision making; continuity of care comes with drawbacks; the absence of continuity of care may lead to medical and psychological harm; and continuity of care can foster greater joy and meaning in a physician's work. Out of the 6 themes, patients and physicians shared the first 5. CONCLUSION: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first qualitative review reporting the unique perspectives of both patients and family physicians on continuity of care. The findings add nuanced insight to the importance of continuity of care in family practice.