The Role of Physiotherapists on Family Health Teams: Understanding Active Interprofessional Team Members' Perspectives.

Purpose: Family Health Teams (FHTs) were established in 2005 to increase access to health care and collaborative decision-making. It remains unclear how effective this care model is for socio-economically and culturally diverse areas like Scarborough, Ontario. This study aimed to (1) understand administrators' and practitioners' perspectives on how FHTs are operating in this region; and (2) illuminate the current and potential roles of physiotherapists within FHTs to address diverse health needs in the Scarborough community. Method: Participants were recruited by snowball and purposive sampling and completed semi-structured interviews. The DEPICT model was used for qualitative data analysis.

Results

Ten active members of Scarborough FHTs took part in this study. All participants noted that physiotherapists would be beneficial to FHTs. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: (1) FHT model of care, (2) resource availability and allocation, and (3) competing perspectives on interprofessional collaboration in FHTs.

Conclusion

FHTs in underserved areas may benefit from greater integration of physiotherapists to maximize the potential of this care model. Ongoing communication with governing bodies and front-line workers about changing health needs in the community to improve resource allocation and funding is crucial. Increasing diversity within FHTs could better represent the cultural diversity of Scarborough.