Ashcroft R, Donnelly C, Gill S, Dancey M, Lam S, Grill AK, Mehta K. The Delivery of Patient Care in Ontario’s Family Health Teams during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthc Policy. 2021 Nov;17(2):72-89. doi: 10.12927/hcpol.2021.26656.
Summary of Findings:
Many of Ontario’s Family Health Teams (FHTs) contributed to the province’s COVID-19 pandemic response, by remaining open, offering virtual care options, and collaborating within and between different primary care teams. This study surveyed staff members in leadership roles from FHTs in the early phases of the pandemic. It found that nearly all participants surveyed reported that FHTs were able to continue in-person and in-home care throughout the pandemic, with many FHTs introducing virtual care options to supplement in-person care. Most participants also reported that team meetings continued through the pandemic, and that someone from their primary care team was involved in a regional COVID-19 planning and leadership organization.
