"It's Like a One-Stop-Shop": A Qualitative Study Exploring Patient Experiences With Interdisciplinary Team-Based Rheumatology Care.

Abstract

Interdisciplinary team-based models of rheumatology care, where rheumatologists and interdisciplinary healthcare professionals deliver care collaboratively, offer a promising solution to improve integrated care; however, an understanding of patients' experiences with this approach remains limited. We explored patients' perspectives on receiving care through an interdisciplinary team-based model. This was a qualitative study informed by qualitative description. We conducted a secondary analysis of semistructured interviews with patients receiving care through an interdisciplinary model in Ontario, Canada. The interviews explored patients' experiences with team-based care and its perceived impact on disease management. We inductively coded interview transcripts and constructed themes using thematic analysis. Among 15 participants, 47% were female, 10 (67%) had inflammatory arthritis, 3 (20%) had other inflammatory rheumatic diseases, and 2 (13%) had osteoarthritis. We identified 5 overarching themes: (1) educational empowerment, (2) unhurried thoroughness, (3) responsive care, (4) timely care, and (5) personalized care through multispecialist collaboration. Participants perceived team-based care to offer enhanced access, including prompt appointments and timely responses to phone calls, attributed to the involvement of multiple health professionals. Participants described care as comprehensive and proactive, addressing needs beyond what a rheumatologist alone could provide. Longer consultations enabled thorough assessments, education, and support across all aspects of disease management. Participants valued the integrated "one-stop shop" model, which reduced the number of external referrals and separate appointments. Patients valued interdisciplinary team-based rheumatology care for improving care access and delivering integrated, convenient, comprehensive care that holistically addressed their needs. These results support wider implementation.