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Enhancing Patient-Centered Care: Pilot Study Results of a Community Care Team Intervention

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Western Journal of Nursing Research: An International Forum for Communicating Nursing Research

Published online on

Abstract

Health care reform focuses on primary care and development of Health Care Homes to improve patient-centered chronic illness care. This pilot study evaluated a community care team intervention that linked chronically ill older patients, support persons, and nurse care coordinators from a Health Care Home with community resources using an adaptation of the Wraparound process. A pragmatic clinical trial design was used. Patient-centered chronic illness care; physical, mental, and social health; service use; and study feasibility were evaluated. Differences between groups were compared using two-sample t, Wilcoxon rank sum, chi-square, or Fisher’s exact tests. At 3 months, the intervention group reported higher patient-centered chronic illness care (mean total Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care change scores were 0.39 for the intervention group and –0.11 for the control group, p = .03). Results indicate that the integrated community care team intervention is a promising strategy to support patient-centered chronic illness care.