The following is a summary of “Barriers and enablers to implementing interprofessional primary care teams: a narrative review of the literature using the consolidated framework for implementation research,” published in the January 2024 issue of Primary Care by Grant, et al.

Interprofessional primary care teams have been introduced to enhance access and quality of primary care. However, the pace of team implementation has yet to match the increasing issues with access. 

For a study, researchers sought to use an implementation framework to categorize and describe barriers and enablers to team implementation in primary care.

A narrative review prioritizing systematic reviews and evidence syntheses was conducted. Ovid MEDLINE was searched using predefined terms, supplemented by ad hoc Google searches and hand searches of health organization websites. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) was employed to categorize barriers and enablers into five domains: Features of Team Implementation; Government, Health Authorities, and Health Organizations; Characteristics of the Team; Characteristics of Team Members; and Process of Implementation.

Data from 19 of 435 articles meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria were extracted. Most barriers and enablers fall into two CFIR domains: Characteristics of the Team and Government, Health Authorities, and Health Organizations. Key themes in the Characteristics of the Team domain included team leadership, clear governance structures, and technology supports facilitating information sharing. The key themes in the domains of government, health authorities, and health organizations were professional remuneration plans, regulatory policy, and interprofessional education. Other themes included the importance of data and research on team status, as well as sufficient and stable funding models in the Features of Team Implementation domain. Positive perspectives, flexibility, and feeling supported were identified in the Characteristics of Team Members domain. Shared leadership and human resources planning were discussed in the Process of Implementation domain.

Identifying barriers and enablers through the CFIR framework allows stakeholders and teams to tailor the implementation of interprofessional primary care teams locally, impacting accessibility and quality of primary care.

Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-023-02240-0