DISCUSSION
The study findings revealed the formal and informal means of communication used by PHCTs, as well as specific team attributes that facilitated communication. A considerable barrier to improving means and methods of communication on PHCTs was inadequate funding.
Study participants identified regularly scheduled team meetings as a vital mechanism for communication on the team. This builds on findings reported in previous studies.5,12,21,22 Craigie and Hobbs21 have described team meetings as a safe place to raise issues and to participate in a problem-solving process that is both respectful and collaborative. This can serve to build cohesive teams and to develop creative strategies to sustain teams when they are confronted by stressful situations or conflict.22 However, meetings themselves can be a source of stress if inadequate time and remuneration become an issue.23 Furthermore, the location and timing of meetings can create tension among the team, particularly when certain agenda items are viewed by some members as mundane or not relevant to their roles.24 One means to avoid some of these issues is to conduct clinical and administrative meetings at separate times.11 When this is not feasible, it is important to create distinct agendas for each component of the meeting, including identification of the leadership or chair of designated agenda items. Teams must collectively agree upon required mandatory attendance by all members or identify which meetings are pertinent to specific groups only.11 These issues need to be addressed for optimal communication to occur.
While the uptake of the electronic health record is still relatively low in Canada, the potential for this means of team communication is yet untapped and might indeed replace the “sticky note.”25 Study participants’ views on the use of computerized communication were mixed and might reflect tension between early adopters and those individuals who lack computer skills or demonstrate minimal interest in this mode of communication.25–27 For teams staffed by numerous part-time members who rarely had opportunities for face-to-face interactions, use of communication logs was important. This ensured smooth transfer of information about both patient care and administrative tasks. Only one other study in primary heath care6 has reported similar findings regarding the use of communication logs by part-time team members; hence this mechanism warrants further exploration as a key communication tool in PHCTs.
Informal communication dominated the daily interactions of the participants as they described working together as a team. Communication about patient care issues needs to be immediate. Ellingson9 has described this as “backstage communication,” which occurs outside of formal team meetings and is essential to the provision of patient care. Hallway consultations might remain the preferred means of communication for clinical and business matters that are time sensitive. As PHCTs grow in size, however, the hallway consultation might not be an effective communication strategy for administrative or organizational matters, although they might remain critical for core team communication about patient care. Hence, the accessibility and proximity of team members is essential, as our participants identified. Approachability, as described by our participants, extends previous work in the literature.21
New funding models for PHCT’s, such as family health teams in Ontario, might eliminate concerns regarding remuneration and permit all team members, in particular family physicians, to be adequately compensated for their attendance at and participation in team meetings, both clinical and administrative. In addition, alternative financial arrangements might offset the costs of implementing computerized communication and therefore facilitate uptake of medical informatics, which have the potential to be an important communication medium.