In the face of mounting pressures on Canada's healthcare system including a nursing shortage, limited access to primary care, and an aging population experts from the Trent/Fleming School of Nursing are highlighting innovative care models that could help alleviate these challenges.
Interprofessional Primary Care Models
Dr. Suzanne Braithwaite, assistant professor at Trent/Fleming School of Nursing, emphasizes the potential of interprofessional primary care models. These integrate various healthcare professionals such as doctors, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and dietitians into cohesive teams.
"A lot of people, when they think of primary care, they think of their family doctor. For a really long time in Canada, that's what was publicly funded, physician services outside of the hospital," says Professor Braithwaite. "However, nurses have been a part of primary care for a long time but not as visible."
Her research focuses on how nurses can maximize their full scope of practice within interprofessional teams to improve patient care and optimize team collaboration.
"Interprofessional collaboration allows for a more holistic approach to patient care, ensuring that all aspects of a patient's needs are addressed," she adds.
Trauma-Informed Care
Dr. Kimberly Ritchie, also an assistant professor at Trent/Fleming School of Nursing, investigates the intersection of trauma and dementia in older adults.
"When it comes to dementia and post-traumatic stress disorder, we talk about a bidirectional relationship. On one hand, if you have or had PTSD, you're at a higher risk of developing dementia," explains Professor Ritchie. "Conversely, if you have dementia, there seems to be this increase or worsening of PTSD symptoms that happened earlier in life."
She advocates for trauma-informed care approaches that acknowledge patients' past experiences to create safer and more comfortable care environments.
"While my research is focused on particular groups of higher risk individuals, about 97 per cent of people have had at least one traumatic experience in their life by the time they reach older adulthood," notes Prof. Ritchie. "Trauma-informed care makes sense for everybody."
A Path Forward
Both experts agree that integrating trauma-informed principles with interprofessional collaboration can address systemic issues in healthcare, such as access, provider burnout, and patient dissatisfaction. As the healthcare sector continues to evolve, embracing these models may offer a path forward in improving both patient outcomes and provider experiences.
