Addressing quadruple aims through primary care and public health collaboration: ten Canadian case studies.

BACKGROUND: Health systems in Canada and elsewhere are at a crossroads of reform in response to rising economic and societal pressures. The Quadruple Aim advocates for: improving patient experience, reducing cost, advancing population health and improving the provider experience. It is at the forefront of Canadian reform debates aimed to improve a complex and often-fragmented health care system. Concurrently, collaboration between primary care and public health has been the focus of current research, looking for integrated community-based primary health care models that best suit the health needs of communities and address health equity. This study aimed to explore the nature of Canadian primary care - public health collaborations, their aims, motivations, activities, collaboration barriers and enablers, and perceived outcomes. METHODS: Ten case studies were conducted in three provinces (Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia) to elucidate experiences of primary care and public health collaboration in different settings, contexts, populations and forms. Data sources included a survey using the Partnership Self-Assessment Tool, focus groups, and document analysis. This provided an opportunity to explore how primary care and public health collaboration could serve in transforming community-based primary health care with the potential to address the Quadruple Aims. RESULTS: Aims of collaborations included: provider capacity building, regional vaccine/immunization management, community-based health promotion programming, and, outreach to increase access to care. Common precipitators were having a shared vision and/or community concern. Barriers and enablers differed among cases. Perceived barriers included ineffective communication processes, inadequate time for collaboration, geographic challenges, lack of resources, and varying organizational goals and mandates. Enablers included clear goals, trusting and inclusive relationships, role clarity, strong leadership, strong coordination and communication, and optimal use of resources. Cases achieved outcomes addressing the Q-Aims such as improving access to services, addressing population health through outreach to at-risk populations, reducing costs through efficiencies, and improving provider experience through capacity building. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care and public health collaborations can strengthen community-based primary health care while addressing the Quadruple Aims with an emphasis on reducing health inequities but requires attention to collaboration barriers and enablers.

Organizational factors influencing successful primary care and public health collaboration.

BACKGROUND: Public health and primary care are distinct sectors within western health care systems. Within each sector, work is carried out in the context of organizations, for example, public health units and primary care clinics. Building on a scoping literature review, our study aimed to identify the influencing factors within these organizations that affect the ability of these health care sectors to collaborate with one another in the Canadian context. Relationships between these factors were also explored. METHODS: We conducted an interpretive descriptive qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 74 key informants from three provinces, one each in western, central and eastern Canada, and others representing national organizations, government, or associations. The sample included policy makers, managers, and direct service providers in public health and primary care. RESULTS: Seven major organizational influencing factors on collaboration were identified: 1) Clear Mandates, Vision, and Goals; 2) Strategic Coordination and Communication Mechanisms between Partners; 3) Formal Organizational Leaders as Collaborative Champions; 4) Collaborative Organizational Culture; 5) Optimal Use of Resources; 6) Optimal Use of Human Resources; and 7) Collaborative Approaches to Programs and Services Delivery. CONCLUSION: While each influencing factor was distinct, the many interactions among these influences are indicative of the complex nature of public health and primary care collaboration. These results can be useful for those working to set up new or maintain existing collaborations with public health and primary care which may or may not include other organizations.

What systemic factors contribute to collaboration between primary care and public health sectors? An interpretive descriptive study.

BACKGROUND: Purposefully building stronger collaborations between primary care (PC) and public health (PH) is one approach to strengthening primary health care. The purpose of this paper is to report: 1) what systemic factors influence collaborations between PC and PH; and 2) how systemic factors interact and could influence collaboration. METHODS: This interpretive descriptive study used purposive and snowball sampling to recruit and conduct interviews with PC and PH key informants in British Columbia (n = 20), Ontario (n = 19), and Nova Scotia (n = 21), Canada. Other participants (n = 14) were knowledgeable about collaborations and were located in various Canadian provinces or working at a national level. Data were organized into codes and thematic analysis was completed using NVivo. The frequency of "sources" (individual transcripts), "references" (quotes), and matrix queries were used to identify potential relationships between factors. RESULTS: We conducted a total of 70 in-depth interviews with 74 participants working in either PC (n = 33) or PH (n = 32), both PC and PH (n = 7), or neither sector (n = 2). Participant roles included direct service providers (n = 17), senior program managers (n = 14), executive officers (n = 11), and middle managers (n = 10). Seven systemic factors for collaboration were identified: 1) health service structures that promote collaboration; 2) funding models and financial incentives supporting collaboration; 3) governmental and regulatory policies and mandates for collaboration; 4) power relations; 5) harmonized information and communication infrastructure; 6) targeted professional education; and 7) formal systems leaders as collaborative champions. CONCLUSIONS: Most themes were discussed with equal frequency between PC and PH. An assessment of the system level context (i.e., provincial and regional organization and funding of PC and PH, history of government in successful implementation of health care reform, etc) along with these seven system level factors could assist other jurisdictions in moving towards increased PC and PH collaboration. There was some variation in the importance of the themes across provinces. British Columbia participants more frequently discussed system structures that could promote collaboration, power relations, harmonized information and communication structures, formal systems leaders as collaboration champions and targeted professional education. Ontario participants most frequently discussed governmental and regulatory policies and mandates for collaboration.

Persistent optimizing: how mothers make food choices for their preschool children.

Mothers' ability to provide healthy food choices for their children has become more complex in our current obesogenic environment. We conducted a total of 35 interviews with 18 mothers of preschool children. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, we developed a substantive theory of how mothers make food choices for their preschoolers. Our substantive theory, persistent optimizing, consists of three main integrated conceptual categories: (a) acknowledging contextual constraints, (b) stretching boundaries, and (c) strategic positioning. Implications to improve mothers' ability to make healthy food choices that reduce their children's risk of becoming overweight or obese are discussed.

Understanding the role of communities of practice in evidence-informed decision making in public health.

In this article we report on qualitative findings that describe public health practitioners' practice-based definitions of evidence-informed decision making (EIDM) and communities of practice (CoP), and how CoP could be a mechanism to enhance their capacity to practice EIDM. Our findings emerged from a qualitative descriptive analysis of group discussions and participant concept maps from two consensus-building workshops that were conducted with public health practitioners (N = 90) in two provinces in eastern Canada. Participants recognized the importance of EIDM and the significance of integrating explicit and tacit evidence in the EIDM process, which was enhanced by CoP. Tacit knowledge, particularly from peers and personal experience, was the preferred source of knowledge, with informal peer interactions being the favored form of CoP to support EIDM. CoP helped practitioners build relationships and community capacity, share and create knowledge, and build professional confidence and critical inquiry. Participants described individual and organizational attributes that were needed to enable CoP and EIDM.

"I can't imagine my life without it!" Curling and health promotion: a photovoice study.

The sport of curling is an important activity in rural Canada, with many female participants. The health of women in rural Canada is much compromised compared to that of their urban counterparts, yet little research has explored ways to promote the health of rural women. This study examined the influence of curling on the health of women in rural Canada. A sample of 15 women and girls aged 12 to 72 from 2 communities in southwestern Ontario took pictures, kept logbooks, and participated in 2 group sessions to discuss the influence of curling on their health. The findings reveal that curling facilitates social connections, enhances physical and mental health, and provides a valued and visible way to support rural life. Clearly, curling promotes the health and community life of rural women in significant ways. More support for curling in rural settings is needed, and additional research on the topic of curling and the health of rural women is indicated.

Developing guidelines for quality community health nursing clinical placements for baccalaureate nursing students.

Rapidly increasing enrollment in Canadian schools of nursing has triggered the development of innovative clinical placement sites. There are both opportunities and challenges inherent in the delivery of clinical nursing education in diverse community settings. As part of the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing's (CASN) ongoing work to assist its members and ensure baccalaureate graduates are prepared to meet the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice at an entry-to-practice level, the CASN Sub-Committee on Public Health (funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada) conducted extensive national consultations with representatives from both academic and practice settings, as well as key national organizations. The resultant Guidelines for Quality Community Health Nursing Clinical Placements, released by CASN in 2010, aim to provide direction to Canadian schools of nursing and practice settings in addressing the challenges and opportunities arising from the changing context of community health nursing student clinical placements.

Organizational attributes that assure optimal utilization of public health nurses.

Optimal utilization of public health nurses (PHNs) is important for strengthening public health capacity and sustaining interest in public health nursing in the face of a global nursing shortage. To gain an insight into the organizational attributes that support PHNs to work effectively, 23 focus groups were held with PHNs, managers, and policymakers in diverse regions and urban and rural/remote settings across Canada. Participants identified attributes at all levels of the public health system: government and system-level action, local organizational culture of their employers, and supportive management practices. Effective leadership emerged as a strong message throughout all levels. Other organizational attributes included valuing and promoting public health nursing; having a shared vision, goals, and planning; building partnerships and collaboration; demonstrating flexibility and creativity; and supporting ongoing learning and knowledge sharing. The results of this study highlight opportunities for fostering organizational development and leadership in public health, influencing policies and programs to optimize public health nursing services and resources, and supporting PHNs to realize the full scope of their competencies.

Building community and public health nursing capacity: a synthesis report of the National Community Health Nursing Study.

OBJECTIVES: 1) To describe the community health nursing workforce in Canada; 2) To compare, across political jurisdictions and community health sectors, what helps and hinders community nurses to work effectively; 3) To identify organizational attributes that support one community subsector--public health nurses--to practise the full scope of their competencies. METHODS: Our study included an analysis of the Canadian Institute for Health Information nursing databases (1996-2007), a survey of over 13,000 community health nurses across Canada and 23 focus groups of public health policy-makers and front-line public health nurses. RESULTS: Over 53,000 registered and licensed practical nurses worked in community health in Canada in 2007, about 16% of the nursing workforce. Community nurses were older on average than the rest of their profession. Typical practice settings for community nurses included community health centres, home care and public health units/departments. To practise effectively, community nurses need professional confidence, good team relationships, supportive workplaces and community support. Most community nurses felt confident in their practice and relationships with other nurses and professionals, though less often with physicians. Their feelings about salary and job security were mixed, and most community nurses would like more learning opportunities, policy and practice information and chances to debrief about work. They needed their communities to do more to address social determinants of health and provide good quality resources. Public health nursing needs a combination of factors to succeed: sound government policy, supportive organizational culture and good management practices. Organizational attributes identified as supports for optimal practice include: flexibility in funding, program design and job descriptions; clear organizational vision driven by shared values and community needs; coordinated public health planning across jurisdictions; and strong leadership that openly promotes public health, values their staff's work and invests in education and training. CONCLUSION: The interchangeable and inconsistent use of titles used by community nurses and their employers makes it difficult to discern differences within this sector such as home care, public health, etc. Our studies also revealed that community nurses: thrive in workplaces where they share the vision and goals of their organization and work collaboratively in an atmosphere that supports creative, autonomous practice; work well together, but need time, flexible funding and management support to develop relationships with the community and their clients, and to build teams with other professionals; could sustain their competencies and confidence in their professional abilities with more access to continuing education, policies, evidence and debriefing sessions.

Population health surveillance practice of public health nurses.

OBJECTIVE: To report the population health surveillance functions of public health nurses and to describe factors that impede these functions. DESIGN AND SAMPLE: An interpretive qualitative study was conducted in Public Health Service areas in Eastern Canada. Participants were public health nurses (n=55) with an average of 14.5 years of pertinent work experience. MEASURES: Semistructured face-to-face, telephone interviews, and focus groups were conducted, transcribed, coded, and analyzed. RESULTS: The nurses in this study used ecosocial population health surveillance functions that included multilevel societal influences on health. Extensive interprofessional and intersectoral networks were foundational to their surveillance work, allowing them to monitor what was occurring in the community and transfer this knowledge into various systems to contribute toward improved health outcomes. However, the nurses did not acknowledge the significance of their population health surveillance work, and documentation structures did not support these surveillance functions. CONCLUSION: New surveillance methods and documentation structures that reflect an ecosocial surveillance approach are needed that are more consistent with public health nurses' population-focused practice.

Public health nurses' primary health care practice: strategies for fostering citizen participation.

Citizen participation is heralded as a critical element of community health programs that emphasize empowerment and health promotion strategies. Although there is a growing body of research on public health nurses' primary health care practice, few studies have described how public health nurses foster citizen participation. This article presents findings from an interpretive qualitative study of public health nurses' perceptions of their role in fostering citizen participation in an eastern Canadian province at a time of significant health care restructuring. The findings from this study clearly profile public health nurses as integral to the practice of fostering citizen participation.

Preparing the community health nursing workforce: internal and external enablers and challenges influencing undergraduate nursing programs in Canada.

The Canadian Schools of Nursing (CASN) task force on public health was mandated to facilitate Schools of Nursing to provide students with the foundation required to meet the Canadian Community Health Nursing Standards of Practice. This paper reports on an environmental scan that explored barriers and enablers influencing the integration of community health nursing content in baccalaureate education in Canada. Data was collected over three phases including: 1) a pan-Canadian survey of nursing schools, 2) completion of open-ended workbook questions by educators, policy makers, administrators, and community health nursing managers attending a pan-Canadian symposium on community health nursing, and 3) recorded notes from the symposium. The response rate for the survey was 72.5% (n = 61 schools) and approximately 125 stakeholders participated in symposium activities. Internal and external enablers and challenges as well as recommendations for practice and education are presented.

Strengthening primary health care through primary care and public health collaboration: the influence of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors.

AimThe aim of this paper is to examine Canadian key informants' perceptions of intrapersonal (within an individual) and interpersonal (among individuals) factors that influence successful primary care and public health collaboration. BACKGROUND: Primary health care systems can be strengthened by building stronger collaborations between primary care and public health. Although there is literature that explores interpersonal factors that can influence successful inter-organizational collaborations, a few of them have specifically explored primary care and public health collaboration. Furthermore, no papers were found that considered factors at the intrapersonal level. This paper aims to explore these gaps in a Canadian context. METHODS: This interpretative descriptive study involved key informants (service providers, managers, directors, and policy makers) who participated in one h telephone interviews to explore their perceptions of influences on successful primary care and public health collaboration. Transcripts were analyzed using NVivo 9.FindingsA total of 74 participants [from the provinces of British Columbia (n=20); Ontario (n=19); Nova Scotia (n=21), and representatives from other provinces or national organizations (n=14)] participated. Five interpersonal factors were found that influenced public health and primary care collaborations including: (1) trusting and inclusive relationships; (2) shared values, beliefs and attitudes; (3) role clarity; (4) effective communication; and (5) decision processes. There were two influencing factors found at the intrapersonal level: (1) personal qualities, skills and knowledge; and (2) personal values, beliefs, and attitudes. A few differences were found across the three core provinces involved. There were several complex interactions identified among all inter and intra personal influencing factors: One key factor - effective communication - interacted with all of them. Results support and extend our understanding of what influences successful primary care and public health collaboration at these levels and are important considerations in building and sustaining primary care and public health collaborations.

Family health nursing and empowering relationships.

PURPOSE: To examine how empowerment, as an ideology and a practice of teaching and learning, was understood and applied by public health nurses (PHNs) in health education with child bearing and child rearing families. METHOD: Feminist poststructuralism was used to guide data collection and analysis. In-depth, individual interviews were conducted with three mothers and three PHNs and explored the different perspectives held by mothers and PHNs during a home visit. FINDINGS: Moments of conflict, contradiction, affirmation, and agreement highlighted various empowering relations. Individual choice and recognition of knowledge and power exemplified how both mothers and PHNs used their "agency" to position themselves into a particular relationship. The analysis includes five sections: (a) mother's perceptions of PHNs, (b) normalization as problematic: the good/bad dichotomy, (c) professional/expert: the balance of power, (d) working the relationship, and (e) reflections on empowerment. CONCLUSION: The information gathered from this studyprovides a rich understanding of the nurses' educational practices with new mothers.

Baccalaureate nursing students' attitudes toward poverty: implications for nursing curricula.

Given the link between poverty and health, nurses, in their work in hospitals and in the community, often come into contact with people who are poor. To be effective care providers, nurses must have an adequate understanding of poverty and a positive attitude toward people who are poor. This study examined attitudes toward poverty among baccalaureate nursing students (N = 740) at three Canadian universities. Students' attitudes were neutral to slightly positive. Personal experiences appeared to have an important influence on the development of favorable attitudes. The findings point to several considerations for nursing curricula. Students should not only be provided with classroom opportunities for critical exploration of poverty and its negative effects on individuals and society, but also have clinical learning experiences that bring them face-to-face with people who are poor, their health concerns, and the realities of their circumstances. Thoughtful critique of poverty-related issues and interpersonal contact may be effective strategies to foster attitude change.

The uncertain journey: women's experiences following a myocardial infarction.

Current literature indicates that women, and society in general, do not see coronary heart disease (CHD) as a serious concern for women. This lack of recognition seems, in part, to be related to a lack of research involving women as participants and in developing nursing knowledge specific to women and CHD. Although existing literature provides valuable insight into cardiac recovery, it does not clearly explore women's perceptions of their experiences in the early home convalescent recovery process following a myocardial infarction (MI). This study reports on the supportive-educative experiences of eight English speaking women, ages 33-61, in their early recovery process following an MI. Inductively generated data analysis has provided a means to understand the process of recovery from the perspective of these participants. Inherent in the participants' words, as they discussed their journeys with recovery, was an overwhelming sense of uncertainty while living with heart disease. For these women, their socially constructed knowledge dictated that women, and in particular, young women, did not experience heart attacks, and was, therefore, in conflict with their realities. The contradiction between the 'truths learned from others' and their MI experiences influenced, and was influenced by, the subsequent emerging themes of a 'rude awakening,' 'disconnected knowing,' and 'reconnecting self.' Feminist research challenges tradition and offers nursing an opportunity to explore and investigate issues of importance to our profession in a different way. Nurses, as well as other health care professionals, need to be aware of the social construction of cardiac illness and women's experiences, as this knowledge has great implications for patient care from prevention to rehabilitation within the cardiac experience. Based on the results of this study, implications for nursing education, research and practice are discussed.

A scoping literature review of collaboration between primary care and public health.

AIM: The purpose of this scoping literature review was to determine what is known about: 1) structures and processes required to build successful collaborations between primary care (PC) and public health (PH); 2) outcomes of such collaborations; and 3) markers of their success. BACKGROUND: Collaboration between PC and PH is believed to enable more effective individual and population services than what might be achieved by either alone. METHODS: The study followed established methods for a scoping literature review and was guided by a framework that identifies systemic, organizational and interactional determinants for collaboration. The review was restricted to articles published between 1988 and 2008. Published quantitative and qualitative primary studies, evaluation research, systematic and other types of reviews, as well as descriptive accounts without an explicit research design, were included if they addressed either the structures or processes to build collaboration or the outcomes or markers of such collaboration, and were published in English. FINDINGS: The combined search strategy yielded 6125 articles of which 114 were included. Systemic-level factors influencing collaboration included: government involvement, policy and fit with local needs; funding and resource factors, power and control issues; and education and training. Lack of a common agenda; knowledge and resource limitations; leadership, management and accountability issues; geographic proximity of partners; and shared protocols, tools and information sharing were influential at the organizational level. Interpersonal factors included having a shared purpose; philosophy and beliefs; clear roles and positive relationships; and effective communication and decision-making strategies. Reported benefits of collaboration included: improved chronic disease management; communicable disease control; and maternal child health. More research is needed to explore the conditions and contexts in which collaboration between PC and PH makes most sense and potential gains outweigh the associated risks and costs.

Methods, strategies and technologies used to conduct a scoping literature review of collaboration between primary care and public health.

AIM: This paper describes the methods, strategies and technologies used to conduct a scoping literature review examining primary care (PC) and public health (PH) collaboration. It presents challenges encountered as well as recommendations and 'lessons learned' from conducting the review with a large geographically distributed team comprised of researchers and decision-makers using an integrated knowledge translation approach. BACKGROUND: Scoping studies comprehensively map literature in a specific area guided by general research questions. This methodology is especially useful in researching complex topics. Thus, their popularity is growing. Stakeholder consultations are an important strategy to enhance study results. Therefore, information about how best to involve stakeholders throughout the process is necessary to improve quality and uptake of reviews. METHODS: This review followed Arksey and O'Malley's five stages: identifying research questions; identifying relevant studies; study selection; charting the data; and collating, summarizing and reporting results. Technological tools and strategies included: citation management software (Reference Manager®), qualitative data analysis software (NVivo 8), web conferencing (Elluminate Live!) and a PH portal (eHealthOntario), teleconferences, email and face-to-face meetings. FINDINGS: Of 6125 papers identified, 114 were retained as relevant. Most papers originated in the United Kingdom (38%), the United States (34%) and Canada (19%). Of 80 papers that reported on specific collaborations, most were descriptive reports (51.3%). Research studies represented 34 papers: 31% were program evaluations, 9% were literature reviews and 9% were discussion papers. Key strategies to ensure rigor in conducting a scoping literature review while engaging a large geographically dispersed team are presented for each stage. The use of enabling technologies was essential to managing the process. Leadership in championing the use of technologies and a clear governance structure were necessary for their successful uptake.

Leadership attributes: a key to optimal utilization of the community health nursing workforce.

This research examined leadership attributes that support the optimal utilization and practice of community health nurses (CHNs). Community health nursing is facing challenges in workforce capacity and sustainability. To meet current and future demands on the community sector, it is essential to understand workplace attributes that facilitate effective utilization of existing human resources and recruitment of new nurses. This pan-Canadian, mixed-methods study included a demographic analysis of CHNs in Canada, a survey involving responses from approximately 6,700 CHNs to identify enablers and barriers to community health nursing practice and 23 focus groups to examine organizational attributes that "best" support optimal practice within the public health nursing subsector. Nursing leadership was identified as an important attribute in organizations' utilization and support of CHNs working to work effectively. This effectiveness, in turn, will enhance community health programs and overall healthcare system efficiency. This paper highlights findings related to the role of nursing leadership and leadership development in optimizing community health nursing practice.

Nursing students' beliefs about poverty and health.

PURPOSE: This paper examines baccalaureate nursing students' beliefs about the relationship between poverty and health, and the factors that influence these beliefs. BACKGROUND: The relationship between poverty and health is well established, and poverty remains a persistent problem in many industrialized nations. Nurses' understanding of how poverty influences health will affect how they interact with individual clients as well as the strategies they employ to address poverty-related issues. No studies have examined nursing students' understandings of how poverty influences health and the factors that influence that understanding. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of a random sample (n = 740) of basic baccalaureate nursing students was conducted in three Canadian universities in 2000. Students completed a 59-item questionnaire eliciting data on demographic variables, personal and educational exposure to poverty, beliefs about the relationship between poverty and health (myth, drift, behavioural, structural), and attitudes to poverty. RESULTS: Students were most likely to adhere to a structural explanation of the relationship between poverty and health. Very little of the variance in myth and drift explanations was accounted for by course or personal exposure, programme level, age, and attitudes toward poverty. Greater course exposure and more positive attitudes toward the poor predicted support for the structural explanation. Support for the behavioural explanation was influenced by attitudes toward the poor and, to a lesser extent, by course exposure, age, and programme level. CONCLUSION: Students would benefit from greater exposure to poverty through coursework that emphasizes the structural factors contributing to poverty and its negative health consequences. Classroom experience should be complemented with clinical placements that provide students with opportunities to interact with families living in poverty and to work collaboratively with others to address the causes and consequences of poverty at community and policy levels.