Interprofessional collaboration in health care teams for the maintenance of community-dwelling seniors' health and well-being in Canada: A systematic review of trials

Abstract

Abstract Background Literature suggests that interprofessional (IP) teams in healthcare may offer better and more client-centered care, but little is known about their impact on health outcomes among seniors in home care. Purpose To systematically synthesize the Canadian evidence on the effectiveness of IP health care models on the health and well-being of community-dwellers aged ≥65 y receiving home care. Method We conducted a systematic search of indexed, peer-reviewed articles reporting on community-based healthcare models that included at least two different disciplines and published between January 2005 and December 2015. Discussion A total of six trials (Ontario n = 3, Quebec n = 2, and British Columbia n = 1) were included in the synthesis, being two fully collaborative. The synthesis suggests IP teams have greater positive effects on patient-reported measures of health (distal measures, e.g., increased satisfaction with care and quality of life) than direct measures of health (e.g., decreased visits to the emergency and hospitalization). Conclusion IP teams appear to positively impact some health outcomes. Models are, however, heterogeneous and lack of national representation, particularly from rural and remote areas.