Improving Primary Health Care Access For Vulnerable Groups: A Canadian – Australian Collaboration — YRD
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  3. Improving Primary Health Care Access For Vulnerable Groups: A Canadian – Australian Collaboration

Improving Primary Health Care Access For Vulnerable Groups: A Canadian – Australian Collaboration (457)

Grant Russell 1 , Jean-Fred Levesque 2 , Mark Harris 3 , Virginia Lewis 4 , Simone Dahrouge 5 , Jeannie Haggerty 6 , Cathie Scott 7
  1. Southern Academic Primary Care Research Unit (SAPCRU), Monash University School of Primary Health Care, Dandenong
  2. Bureau of Health Information, Chatswood, NSW
  3. Centre of Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales, Randwick, NSW
  4. Faculty of Health Sciences, Australian Institute for Primary Care and Ageing, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Vic
  5. Department of Family Medicine , University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
  6. Department of Family and Community Medicine, McGill University, Quebec, Canada
  7. Alberta Health Services, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

Introduction

Vulnerable populations face considerable barriers in gaining access to primary health care (PHC). The Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research have come together to fund a participatory research program designed to co-create, with communities, providers and policy-makers, new approaches to enhancing access for vulnerable populations.  The 5 year program of work (‘Innovative Models Promoting Access and Coverage Team - IMPACT) will 1) develop a network of partnerships between decision makers, researchers and community members; 2)  identify, adapt and trial organisational, community aligned innovations to improve access to appropriate PHC for vulnerable populations.

Method

5 year mixed-method evaluation using a community participatory approach. Set in 3 Australian states (NSW, Vic, SA) and 3 Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Alberta), IMPACT will begin by creating learning networks of decision makers, researchers, clinicians and members of the vulnerable communities in the 6 local health regions.

We will then work with each network to identify regional access priorities, then, after scoping relevant innovations, we will consult with communities, and conduct realist reviews to examine the feasibility of implementing up to 8 relevant access related organisational innovations within the regions. Finally, our randomised controlled trials of selected innovations will inform sustainability and uptake in other communities.

Results

We will provide an overview of progress with early implementation of the program of work.

Conclusions

Our regional, national and international communities of practice should build capacity and give governments, health services and consumers in both countries a rich understanding of what matters in optimising access to needed community based PHC.