Building workforce capacity for complex care coordination: a function analysis of workflow activity.

Liza Heslop,Rebecca Power,Kathryn Cranwell

doi:10.1186/1478-4491-12-52

Liza Heslop, Rebecca Power + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/1478-4491-12-52

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Abstract

BackgroundThe care coordination workforce includes a range of clinicians who manage care for patients with multiple chronic conditions both within and outside a hospital, in the community, or in a patient’s home. These patients require a multi-skilled approach to support complex care and social support needs as they are typically high users of health, community, and social services. In Australia, workforce structures have not kept pace with this new and emerging workforce. The aim of the study was to develop, map, and analyse workforce functions of a care coordination team.MethodsWorkflow modelling informed the development of an activity log that was used to collect workflow data in 2013 from care coordinators located within the care coordination service offered by a Local Health Network in Australia. The activity log comprised a detailed classification of care coordination functions based on two major categories – direct and indirect care. Direct care functions were grouped into eight domains. A descriptive quantitative investigation design was used for data analysis. The data was analysed using univariate descriptive statistics with results presented in tables and a figure.ResultsCare coordinators spent more time (70.9%) on direct care than indirect care (29.1%). Domains of direct care that occupied the most time relative to the 38 direct care functions were ‘Assessment’ (14.1%), ‘Documentation’ (13.9%), ‘Travel time’ (6.3%), and ‘Accepting/discussing referral’ (5.7%). ‘Administration’ formed a large component of indirect care functions (14.8%), followed by ‘Travel’ (12.4%). Sub-analyses of direct care by domains revealed that a group of designated ‘core care coordination functions’ contributed to 40.6% of direct care functions.ConclusionsThe modelling of care coordination functions and the descriptions of workflow activity support local development of care coordination capacity and workforce capability through extensive practice redesigns.

Highlights

The care coordination workforce includes a range of clinicians who manage care for patients with multiple chronic conditions both within and outside a hospital, in the community, or in a patient’s home
Various care coordination service models reported within the Australian literature tend to have been initiated by, and form part of, the authorising environment of the Australian Primary Health Care (PHC) system
The current study focuses on a care coordination service which is administered by a Local Health Network (LHN) while being part of a public hospital

Summary

Introduction

The care coordination workforce includes a range of clinicians who manage care for patients with multiple chronic conditions both within and outside a hospital, in the community, or in a patient’s home. These patients require a multi-skilled approach to support complex care and social support needs as they are typically high users of health, community, and social services. The concept of ‘relational processes’ in care coordination that involve complementary roles of each professional and their interdependencies have been identified as important processes in emerging interprofessional teams where the building of ‘relational coordination’ may ensure team functioning based upon shared goals, shared knowledge, and mutual respect [30]

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