A multilevel study of patient-centered care perceptions in mental health teams

BMC Health Serv Res. 2021 Jan 7;21(1):44. doi: 10.1186/s12913-020-06054-z.

Abstract

Background: The successful combination of interprofessional collaboration in multidisciplinary teams with patient-centered care is necessary when it comes to delivering complex mental health services. Yet collaboration is challenging and patient-centered care is intricate to manage. This study examines correlates of patient-centered care such as team adaptivity and proactivity, collaboration, belief in interprofessional collaboration and informational role self-efficacy in multidisciplinary mental health teams.

Method: A cross-sectional multilevel survey design was used, based on self-administered bilingual validated questionnaires. Participants (N=314) were mental health professionals and managers working in public primary care or specialized mental health services, in inpatient or outpatient settings.

Results: This study showed that belief in interprofessional collaboration's relationship with patient-centered perceptions is increased in teams with high collaboration. Collaboration is also found as a mediator, representing a process by which team adaptive and proactive behaviors are transformed into positive patient-centered perceptions.

Conclusions: Our results were in line with recent studies on team processes establishing that collaboration is a key component in multilevel examinations of predictors of patient-centered care. In terms of practice, our study showed that multidisciplinary teams should know that working hard on collaboration is an answer to the complexity of patient-centered care. Collaboration is related to the teams' ability to respond to its challenges. It is also related to individuals' beliefs central to the delivery of interprofessional care.

Keywords: Adaptation; Attitudes; Beliefs; Collaboration; Patient-centered care; Teamwork.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Cooperative Behavior
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interprofessional Relations
  • Male
  • Mental Health*
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Care Team*
  • Patient-Centered Care*
  • Perception
  • Young Adult