Patients perspectives on an interprofessional care model in healthcare for patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: A qualitative study

<ns3:p>Background Managing immune-mediated inflammatory diseases(IMIDs) is complex for patients and healthcare professionals. Research indicates healthcare fragmentation due to mono-disciplinary approaches that address numerous comorbid conditions. While acknowledged as critical to IMIDs care, the joint coordination and management of somatic disorders, psychological disorders, and socioeconomic factors receive limited attention in current clinical practices. Research calls for more interprofessional approaches addressing IMIDs patients’ needs. Therefore, this study explored patients’ experiences participating in an interprofessional patient-centred complex IMIDs intervention to inform future development. Materials & Methods The study was based on semi-structured interviews with 11 participants. We used Thematic Analysis to analyse data. Results We identified three overarching themes: Bringing well-known actors into a new concept, Expanding interprofessional care, and Bridging interprofessional care. From the patients’ perspective, integrating expertise from well-known professionals and a broader spectrum of professionals was critical to addressing their complex IMIDs needs and avoiding fragmentation. Moreover, coordination administered by care coordinators was vital to their experiences of success. Conclusions This study presents a two-fold conceptualisation of interprofessional care to inform future IMIDs intervention development. Our results underscore the importance of individualising and tailoring treatment through patient-centred care to help patients improve their IMIDs and self-management skills.</ns3:p>