Ongoing Participation in Community Care Conferences in a Small Municipality

Focusing on Care Managers and Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Objective: To understand the experience of care managers and health care professionals who participate continuously in community care conferences in a small municipality.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four care managers and four healthcare professionals who attended a series of community care conferences in municipality X. The results were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.

Results: The care managers [prepared thoroughly for care conferences], while some [found it challenging to have case studies centered on service implementation]. They [improved their assessment skills], and [developed closer relationships with healthcare professionals]. They [learned about the strengths and challenges within the community] and developed [a more positive attitude towards conferences]. The healthcare professionals [attended the conferences expecting to share their medical knowledge with care managers] and to [help them become more familiar with medical care]. Their [perspective shifted from a disease-centered mindset to a focus on community living]. They [became respectful of care managers’ profound role involved in the community], [became more cognizant of the role of medical care in the community as a whole], and recognized [the purpose of conferences in connecting everybody in the community]. They experienced [the joy of attending conferences].

Conclusion: Based on these case studies, care managers increased assessment skills through learning of the medical perspective, while healthcare professionals came to a better understanding of the homecare perspective. Both experienced deeper connections with each other. This suggests that both parties gained holistic perspectives, prompting an increased understanding of their own roles in the community.