From Structures to Relationships: Exploring Communication and Information Sharing in Interprofessional Community Specialist Teams Integrating Care for Older Adults

Background: Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) enables healthcare professionals (HCPs) to deliver coordinated, high-quality care, and is a cornerstone of the World Health Organisation’s Integrated Care for Older People framework. In the Irish context, the ECLECTIC Framework identifies communication and information sharing as essential for effective IPC within specialist community teams integrating care for older adults (ICPOP-CSTs).

 

This study aims to explore and describe the communication and information-sharing practices of ICPOP-CSTs as a lens through which to view IPC and identify the factors that enable effective collaboration in these teams.

 

Approach: This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with four ICPOP-CSTs in Ireland. Participants (N = 39) represented all team disciplines, including geriatricians, operational leads, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians, speech and language therapists, and administrative staff. Data were collected between May and July 2024 and analysed using thematic analysis. An inductive coding approach was applied, with codes derived directly from the data. Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework guided the analysis.

 

Results: Three main themes were identified.

 1) Structural factors, including information and communication technology systems, resources, training, governance, and co-location. This theme provided the foundation that enables theme

2) Operational factors, such as joint assessments, learning and engagement activities, emails, phone calls and informal chats, data logs and shared folders, weekly meetings, and building links with other teams to support integration of care. These operational processes, in turn, fostered

3) Relational factors, which also fed back into shaping structural and operational practices, highlighting the dynamic and interdependent nature of interprofessional communication. Relational elements included psychological safety and openness, trust and respect, interpersonal and interprofessional relationships, supportive behaviours and approachable leadership, and effective communication.

 

 

Implications: Effective communication and information sharing are fundamental to IPC and care integration. The findings highlight practical ways to strengthen communication within and across community-based interprofessional teams, thereby supporting IPC and care integration for older people and their caregivers. Careful planning of communication pathways within and across organisational levels is crucial for care integration as older people transition across care boundaries in primary and community settings.