Article
Details
Citation
Pratt R, Hibberd C, Cameron I & Maxwell M (2015) The Patient Centered Assessment Method (PCAM): integrating the social dimensions of health into primary care. Journal of Comorbidity, 5 (1), pp. 110 - 119. https://doi.org/10.15256/joc.2015.5.35
Abstract
Background: Social dimensions of health are known to contribute to what is often termed ¡°patient complex-ity,¡± which is particularly common among patients with multimorbidity. Health-care professionals require tools to help them identify and manage these aspects of patient needs.
Objectives: To examine: (i) the Patient Centered Assessment Method (PCAM), a tool for assessing patient complexity in ways that are sensitive to the biopsychosocial dimensions of health, in primary care settings in Scotland; (ii) the impact of the PCAM on referral patterns and its perceived value; and (iii) the PCAM¡¯s perceived applicability for use in a complex patient population.
Design: Two studies are described: (i) a mixed-methods prospective cohort study of the implementation of the PCAM in primary care clinics; and (ii) a qualitative exploratory study that evaluated the value of the PCAM in a complex patient population.
Results: Use of the PCAM did not impact patient satisfaction or perception of practitioners¡¯ empathy, but it did increase both the number of onward referrals per referred patient (9¨C12%) and the proportion of referrals to non-medical services addressing psychological, social, and lifestyle needs. Nurses valued the PCAM, particularly its ability to help them address psychological and social domains of patients¡¯ lives, and found it to be highly relevant for use in populations with known high complexity.
Conclusions: The PCAM represents a feasible approach for assessing patient needs with consider-ation to the social dimensions of health, and allows practitioners to refer patients to a broader range of services to address patient complexity.
Keywords
Patient Centered Assessment Method (PCAM); comorbidity; multimorbidity; social dimensions of health; prevention; patient complexity;
Journal
Journal of Comorbidity: Volume 5, Issue 1
Status | Published |
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Funders | |
Publication date | 01/01/2015 |
Publication date online | 16/07/2015 |
URL | |
eISSN | 2235-042X |
People (2)
Lecturer in Acute Nursing, Health Sciences Âé¶¹´«Ã½AV
Professor, CHeCR