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Article

The Patient Centered Assessment Method (PCAM): integrating the social dimensions of health into primary care

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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

StatusPublished
Funders
Publication date01/01/2015
Publication date online16/07/2015
URL
eISSN2235-042X

People (2)

Dr Carina Hibberd

Dr Carina Hibberd

Lecturer in Acute Nursing, Health Sciences Âé¶¹´«Ã½AV

Professor Margaret Maxwell

Professor Margaret Maxwell

Professor, CHeCR

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