Role of Policy in Best-Practice Dissemination: Informal Professional Advice Networks in Canadian Long-Term Care.

This article examines provincial policy influence on long-term care (LTC) professionals' advice-seeking networks in Canada's Maritime provinces. The effects of facility ownership, geography, and region-specific political landscapes on LTC best-practice dissemination are examined. We used sociometric statistics and network sociograms, calculated from surveys with 169 senior leaders in LTC facilities, to identify advice-seeking network structures and to select 11 follow-up interview participants. Network structures were distinguished by density, sub-group number, opinion leader, and boundary spanner distribution. Network structure was affected by ownership model in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and by regional geography in New Brunswick. Political instability within each province's LTC system negatively affected network actors' capabilities to enact innovation. Moreover, provincial policy variations influence advice-seeking network structures, facilitating and constraining relationship development and networking. Consequently, local policy context is essential to informing dissemination strategy design or implementation.

Snap shot: Achieving better care through a one-page personal health profile.

Children with intellectual disabilities (IDs) can have complex health conditions that require intense and ongoing care management by multiple healthcare professionals (HCPs). Families often experience frustrations and challenges sharing necessary information about their children's unique emotional and communicative needs with HCPs. In turn, these needs are often poorly documented and shared with other HCPs. This contributes to compromised care and frustrations for families and HCPs. We conducted a qualitative study using focus groups to examine how 10 parents and 3 HCPs experienced provision of care for children with ID, as well as their suggestions for developing a one-page personal health profile (PHP) to improve communication. Parents suggested including behavioural descriptors rather than diagnoses. All participants believed a one-page PHP that was child and parent led would be very helpful and would improve communication between HCPs, parents and children leading to effective and supportive care.