Assessing Readiness and Sustainability for Integrated Care in Ontario, Canada with the Integrated Care Leadership Survey

Introduction: Ontario, Canada, is shifting to a more integrated healthcare delivery system through the Ontario Health Team (OHT) initiative. The extent to which OHTs have the capabilities to engage in integrated care is unknown and important to designing implementation supports. This article describes the development and psychometric testing of the Ontario Integrated Care Leadership Survey (OICLS), in 30 OHTs. The OICLS was informed by the Context and Capabilities for Integrated Care framework (CCIC).

Methods: The 42-item survey was distributed electronically to 765 eligible leaders across 30 OHTs; 480 (63%) responded representing approximately 600 organizations. Item analyses and scale psychometric analyses were undertaken to reduce the number of items in the CCIC survey tool while maintaining validity and reliability.

Results: The OICLS survey is comprised of 10 domains covering 12 of 17 capabilities identified in the CCIC. In the total sample, Cronbach’s alpha exceeded 0.7 for nine of the ten domains. Descriptive responses to each of the 39 OICLS closed-ended survey questions illustrate the areas of strength and weakness and where supports are warranted to advance the formation of integrated care delivery systems.

Conclusion: The OICLS offers a brief and valid assessment of foundational aspects of multi-organizational integrated care initiatives.