The Feasibility of a Primary Care Based Navigation Service to Support Access to Health and Social Resources: The Access to Resources in the Community (ARC) Model

Simone Dahrouge; Alain P Gauthier; Francois Durand; Manon Lemonde; Kiran Saluja; Claire Kendall; Kamila Premji; Justin Presseau; Marie-Hélène Chomienne; Darene Anne Toal-Sullivan; Patrick Timony; Andrea Perna; Denis Prud'homme

doi:10.5334/ijic.6500

The Feasibility of a Primary Care Based Navigation Service to Support Access to Health and Social Resources: The Access to Resources in the Community (ARC) Model

Int J Integr Care. 2022 Nov 22;22(4):13. doi: 10.5334/ijic.6500. eCollection 2022 Oct-Dec.

Authors

Simone Dahrouge^{1

2}, Alain P Gauthier³, Francois Durand^{4

5}, Manon Lemonde⁶, Kiran Saluja¹, Claire Kendall^{1

2

7

5}, Kamila Premji^{2

8}, Justin Presseau⁷, Marie-Hélène Chomienne^{2

5}, Darene Anne Toal-Sullivan¹, Patrick Timony⁹, Andrea Perna¹, Denis Prud'homme^{5

10}

Affiliations

¹ Bruyère Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
² Department of Family Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
³ School of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.
⁴ Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁵ Institut du Savoir Montfort, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁶ Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, ON, Canada.
⁷ The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
⁸ Department of Family Medicine, Western University, Ontario, Canada.
⁹ Centre for Rural and Northern Health Research, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada.
¹⁰ Université de Moncton, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.

Abstract

Introduction: We established a patient centric navigation model embedded in primary care (PC) to support access to the broad range of health and social resources; the Access to Resources in the Community (ARC) model.

Methods: We evaluated the feasibility of ARC using the rapid cycle evaluations of the intervention processes, patient and PC provider surveys, and navigator log data. PC providers enrolled were asked to refer patients in whom they identified a health and/or social need to the ARC navigator.

Results: Participants: 26 family physicians in four practices, and 82 of the 131 patients they referred. ARC was easily integrated in PC practices and was especially valued in the non-interprofessional practices. Patient overall satisfaction was very high (89%). Sixty patients completed the post-intervention surveys, and 33 reported accessing one or more service(s).

Conclusion: The ARC Model is an innovative approach to reach and support a broad range of patients access needed resources. The Model is feasible and acceptable to PC providers and patients, and has demonstrated potential for improving patients' access to health and social resources. This study has informed a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to evaluate the ARC navigation to an existing web and telephone navigation service (Ontario 211).

Keywords: Feasibility; community resources; integrated-care; patient-navigation; social-prescribing.

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (in partnership with the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute). Team Grant: Community-Based Primary Healthcare; and the Ontario SPOR– Innovative Models Promoting Access and Coverage Team (IMPACT) Award. The information and opinions contained in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of these funding agencies or the Australian Government Department of Health. The funding bodies do not have a role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in the writing of the manuscript.