چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background:Practice facilitation is a key component of quality improvement in primary healthcare. Studies have
reported the effectiveness of practice facilitation in improving quality management and care delivery. However,
little has been published about practice facilitators’ training, facilitation activities, and their perceived role in quality
improvement in primary healthcare. This study examined practice facilitators’ training and the perceptions of the
practice facilitator role in a provincial primary healthcare learning collaborative quality improvement initiative in
Ontario, Canada.
Method:Descriptive and qualitative methods were used to outline the practice facilitator training as well as to look
into the experiences and perceptions of practice facilitators and primary healthcare teams regarding the practice
facilitation role in quality improvement. Data collection included training artifacts, activity logs, self-reflection reports,
and semi-structured interviews with practice facilitators andprimary healthcare participants. Reflections and interviews
were analyzed to identify the role of the practice facilitators from their own experience, and from the perspective of the
participants. Descriptive statistics were used to learn about categories of facilitation activities undertaken and frequency
of these activities.
Results:Sixteen practice facilitators and seven family healthcare teams participatedin the study. Practice facilitators
received a two-day intensive training workshop and continued training. Their time was spent mostly working directly
with participating teams, continued learning and training, communications and administration. They served as coaches,
resource providers, enablers and motivators. Participating teams expressed satisfaction with the practice facilitator role,
although they had hoped this position would provide onsite and hands-on support in conducting activities of quality
improvement at the practice level.
Conclusions:Practice facilitators played a crucial role in the implementation of quality improvement in Ontario’s
learning collaborative program. The practice facilitator role is perceived to be that of a coach, enabler and motivator. This
study suggests that the practice facilitator successfully supported participating teams to undertake quality improvement
activities in primary healthcare settings.