Integration of Chronic Disease Rehabilitation Services Into Primary Care

Since 2001, professionals in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (SLSJ) region in Quebec province, Canada, have been mobilized to deal with the challenges of CD management by the introduction of the SLSJ Trajectory of Integrated Rehabilitation Services for CD (Trajectoire des services de réadaptation intégrés pour MC du SLSJ), hereafter referred to as the "Trajectoire." This Trajectoire, deployed across the region, constitutes a solid network of rehabilitation services, due as much to the resources granted to it and its evidence-based approach as to the appreciation that patients and professionals within the regional health system have for it. The changes and new directions that have taken place in recent years suggest it is time to improve this Trajectoire by promoting greater integration with primary care services to improve accessibility, the complementarity of services and better post-rehabilitation continuity. The proposed intervention involves the adaptation and integration of rehabilitation services under the Trajectoire's leadership within primary care settings (FMG or medical clinics), so that collaborative work routines are developed and implemented directly at the main place of contact with health services for people with a CD. The intervention will be implemented at the CSSSs in Chicoutimi and Jonquière. This logic model was developed in collaboration with researchers, clinicians and decision-makers involved in this application and discussed at meetings for the preparation of this application. The model's first component (objective 1) will consist of a consultation with stakeholders (primary care professionals, Trajectoire professionals) by sharing information about the current range of services. In each area, the consultation will include a needs evaluation and a reflection on the Trajectoire's services that can be adapted for targeted clients. As each clinic where an intervention will be deployed has its own mode of operation and clientele characteristics, the clinical intervention will be specifically adapted to these considerations and prepared in collaboration with each clinical setting to ensure a range of services that meets the expressed needs.

The second component (objective 2) will be to implement and deploy a range of concerted interdisciplinary services adapted to the client services and professional resources already in place. Services that do not require specialized equipment or adapted premises (a gym, for example) can be integrated, including educational/teaching services (self-care, support to stop smoking, nutrition, etc.). In medical clinics currently not offering these services, the addition will be net, while in those that already rely on the services of nurse practitioners (FMG), the addition of these services will complement existing services. During this period, various mechanisms and clinical information sharing tools will be implemented jointly by professionals. The third component will be to implement a support mechanism and ongoing evaluation within the clinical setting to ensure harmonious integration. If necessary, training workshops will be provided to implement or maintain evidence-based practices and to plan longer-term follow-up of clientele and continuity of interventions.

The intervention: (a) will be educational in nature, patient-centred and based on the Trajectoire; (b) will last at least three months and involve at least three meetings; (c) may include meetings with small patient groups or the involvement of a close relative of the patient (spouse or primary caregiver); (d) will be carried out based on a referral from the primary care team according to defined criteria; (e) will allow an exchange with the primary care team and will be integrated into the primary care medical records; (f) will provide for a transfer of responsibility to the primary care team to ensure ongoing long-term follow-up.

Inclusion criteria

• present at least one of the following conditions: type 2 diabetes, CVD, heart failure, risk factors (smoking, obesity, hyperlipidemia, glucose intolerance, and metabolic syndrome), COPD or asthma.
• have the potential for rehabilitation

Exclusion criteria

• serious cognitive problems