{"title":"Assessing primary health care provider and organization readiness to address family violence in Alberta, Canada: development of a Delphi consensus readiness tool","authors":"Stephanie Montesanti, Anika Sehgal, Lubna Zaeem, Carrie McManus, Suzanne Squires, Peter Silverstone","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02396-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02396-3","url":null,"abstract":"Family violence, which includes intimate partner abuse, child abuse, and elder abuse, is a serious public health concern. Primary healthcare (PHC) offers a vital opportunity to identify and address family violence, yet barriers prevent the effective implementation of family violence interventions in PHC settings. The purpose of this study is to improve family violence identification and response in Alberta’s PHC settings by exploring readiness factors. An integrated knowledge translation approach, combining implementation science and participatory action research, was employed to develop a readiness assessment tool for addressing family violence within PHC settings in Alberta. The research involved three phases: phase 1 involved a rapid evidence assessment, phase 2 engaged a panel of healthcare and family violence experts to explore readiness components in the Alberta context, and phase 3 utilized a 3-round Delphi consensus-building process to refine readiness indicators. Phase 1 findings from a rapid evidence assessment highlighted five main models/tools for assessing readiness to implement family violence interventions in PHC settings. In phase 2, additional concepts were identified through exploration with healthcare and family violence expert panel members, resulting in a total of 16 concepts for assessing family violence readiness within the Alberta PHC context. The 3-round Delphi consensus-building process in Phase 3 involved nine panelists, who collectively agreed on the inclusion of all concepts and indicators, yielding a total of 60 items for the proposed readiness assessment tool for addressing family violence in PHC within Alberta. The current study lays the groundwork for future family violence intervention programs, offering insights into key components that promote readiness for implementing comprehensive programs and supporting PHC organizations in effectively addressing family violence.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140811192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Advancing health equity for Indigenous peoples in Canada: development of a patient complexity assessment framework","authors":"Anika Sehgal, Rita Henderson, Adam Murry, Lynden (Lindsay) Crowshoe, Cheryl Barnabe","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02362-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02362-z","url":null,"abstract":"Indigenous patients often present with complex health needs in clinical settings due to factors rooted in a legacy of colonization. Healthcare systems and providers are not equipped to identify the underlying causes nor enact solutions for this complexity. This study aimed to develop an Indigenous-centered patient complexity assessment framework for urban Indigenous patients in Canada. A multi-phased approach was used which was initiated with a review of literature surrounding complexity, followed by interviews with Indigenous patients to embed their lived experiences of complexity, and concluded with a modified e-Delphi consensus building process with a panel of 14 healthcare experts within the field of Indigenous health to identify the domains and concepts contributing to health complexity for inclusion in an Indigenous-centered patient complexity assessment framework. This study details the final phase of the research. A total of 27 concepts spanning 9 domains, including those from biological, social, health literacy, psychological, functioning, healthcare access, adverse life experiences, resilience and culture, and healthcare violence domains were included in the final version of the Indigenous-centered patient complexity assessment framework. The proposed framework outlines critical components that indicate the presence of health complexity among Indigenous patients. The framework serves as a source of reference for healthcare providers to inform their delivery of care with Indigenous patients. This framework will advance scholarship in patient complexity assessment tools through the addition of domains not commonly seen, as well as extending the application of these tools to potentially mitigate racism experienced by underserved populations such as Indigenous peoples.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"28 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140811186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Accessibility and availability of maternal and reproductive health care services: ensuring health equity among rural women in Southern India","authors":"Geetha Jeganathan, Sampath Kumar Srinivasan, Senthilkumar Ramasamy, Pitchaimani Govindharaj","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02369-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02369-6","url":null,"abstract":"The health of women is of particular concern because they often have greater health needs than men and many women still lack access to quality healthcare services, preventing their ability to attain the best possible level of health. Hence, this study aimed to assess the accessibility and availability of health services among rural women. A household survey was conducted by using a multi-stage sample with 407 married women aged 18–45 years, having at least one child and living in Tiruchirappalli District, Tamil Nadu were recruited for this study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data about the demographic status, and accessibility and availability of health services. Of the 407 respondents, 70% were aged between 26 and 40 years, 73% were working as farmers and labourers and 77% were living in nuclear families. 71% of them had enjoyed hospital facilities near their residence and 83% of the hospitals were run by the government. In village health nurse service (VHN), 34% of the respondents had received all services from VHN and 86% did not face any kind of gender inequality and almost all of them were satisfied with the service provided by the VHN. Almost all the respondents (98%) were satisfied with the availability of health services and 92% of them benefited from the government scheme related to childbirth. This study showed that overall, the women were satisfied with the availability of healthcare services and reproductive health services. Moreover, almost all of them benefited from the government scheme related to childbirth.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140811285","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jordan Scheer, Taylor Leroy, Sylvie Guillo, Florence Tubach, Antoine Rozès, Amandine Verga-Gérard, Francis Guillemin, Maryse Lapeyre-Mestre, Anthony Chapron
{"title":"Evolution of public funding since primary care research was considered as a priority research domain in france","authors":"Jordan Scheer, Taylor Leroy, Sylvie Guillo, Florence Tubach, Antoine Rozès, Amandine Verga-Gérard, Francis Guillemin, Maryse Lapeyre-Mestre, Anthony Chapron","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02384-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02384-7","url":null,"abstract":"Annually, the French Ministry of Health funds clinical research projects based on a national call for projects. Since 2013, the Ministry has prioritized funding of primary care. Projects selected for funding are made public without distinguishing the specific area of research. The objective of this study was to identify and describe the evolution of the primary care research projects funded by the Ministry of Health between 2013 and 2019. We reviewed all of the 1796 medical research projects funded between 2013 and 2019 and categorized projects as primary care projects by using a list of specific keywords. This list was established through two approaches: (1) selected by an expert committee, the RECaP primary care working group, and (2) using an automated textual analysis of published articles in the field. The keywords were used to screen the titles of the medical research projects funded. The abstracts (at www.clinicaltrials.gov ) or details (from project leaders) were then analyzed by two independent reviewers to determine true primary care projects. Finally, 49 primary care projects were identified, representing 2.7% of all medical research projects funded, without any significant change over the period. These projects were predominantly interventional (69%), with a median number of patients expected per project of 902. Despite the prioritization of primary care research in 2013 by the French ministry of health, the number and proportion of projects funded remains low, with no significant change over the years. Not applicable.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"112 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140799652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kevin P. Fiori, Samantha Levano, Jessica Haughton, Renee Whiskey-LaLanne, Andrew Telzak, Hemen Muleta, Kavita Vani, Earle C. Chambers, Andrew Racine
{"title":"Advancing social care integration in health systems with community health workers: an implementation evaluation based in Bronx, New York","authors":"Kevin P. Fiori, Samantha Levano, Jessica Haughton, Renee Whiskey-LaLanne, Andrew Telzak, Hemen Muleta, Kavita Vani, Earle C. Chambers, Andrew Racine","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02376-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02376-7","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, health systems have expanded the focus on health equity to include health-related social needs (HRSNs) screening. Community health workers (CHWs) are positioned to address HRSNs by serving as linkages between health systems, social services, and the community. This study describes a health system’s 12-month experience integrating CHWs to navigate HRSNs among primary care patients in Bronx County, NY. We organized process and outcome measures using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) implementation framework domains to evaluate a CHW intervention of the Community Health Worker Institute (CHWI). We used descriptive and inferential statistics to assess RE-AIM outcomes and socio-demographic characteristics of patients who self-reported at least 1 HRSN and were referred to and contacted by CHWs between October 2022 and September 2023. There were 4,420 patients who self-reported HRSNs in the standardized screening tool between October 2022 and September 2023. Of these patients, 1,245 were referred to a CHW who completed the first outreach attempt during the study period. An additional 1,559 patients self-reported HRSNs directly to a clinician or CHW without being screened and were referred to and contacted by a CHW. Of the 2,804 total patients referred, 1,939 (69.2%) were successfully contacted and consented to work with a CHW for HRSN navigation. Overall, 78.1% (n = 1,515) of patients reported receiving social services. Adoption of the CHW clinician champion varied by clinical team (median 22.2%; IQR 13.3–39.0%); however, there was no difference in referral rates between those with and without a clinician champion (p = 0.50). Implementation of CHW referrals via an electronic referral order appeared successful (73.2%) and timely (median 11 days; IQR 2–26 days) compared to standard CHWI practices. Median annual cost per household per CHW for the intervention was determined to be $184.02 (IQR $134.72 – $202.12). We observed a significant proportion of patients reporting successful receipt of social services following engagement with an integrated CHW model. There are additional implementation factors that require further inquiry and research to understand barriers and enabling factors to integrate CHWs within clinical teams.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140799677","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The short and long-term efficacy of nurse-led interventions for improving blood pressure control in people with hypertension in primary care settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Masami Ito, Aran Tajika, Rie Toyomoto, Hissei Imai, Masatsugu Sakata, Yukiko Honda, Sanae Kishimoto, Memori Fukuda, Noboru Horinouchi, Ethan Sahker, Toshi A. Furukawa","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02380-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02380-x","url":null,"abstract":"Previous systematic reviews suggest that nurse-led interventions improve short-term blood pressure (BP) control for people with hypertension. However, the long-term effects, adverse events, and appropriate target BP level are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of nurse-led interventions. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and CINAHL, as well as three Japanese article databases, as relevant randomized controlled trials from the oldest possible to March 2021. This search was conducted on 17 April 2021. We did an update search on 17 October 2023. We included studies on adults aged 18 years or older with hypertension. The treatments of interest were community-based nurse-led BP control interventions in addition to primary physician-provided care as usual. The comparator was usual care only. Primary outcomes were long-term achievement of BP control goals and serious adverse events (range: 27 weeks to 3 years). Secondary outcomes were short-term achievement of BP control goals and serious adverse events (range: 4 to 26 weeks), change of systolic and diastolic BP from baseline, medication adherence, incidence of hypertensive complications, and total mortality. We included 35 studies. Nurse-led interventions improved long-term BP control (RR 1.10, 95%CI 1.03 to 1.18). However, no significant differences were found in the short-term effects of nurse-led intervention compared to usual care about BP targets. Little information on serious adverse events was available. There was no difference in mortality at both terms between the two groups. Establishing the appropriate target BP from the extant trials was impossible. Nurse-led interventions may be more effective than usual care for achieving BP control at long-term follow-up. It is important to continue lifestyle modification for people with hypertension. We must pay attention to adverse events, and more studies examining appropriate BP targets are needed. Nurse-led care represents an important complement to primary physician-led usual care.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"116 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140799676","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Strategies that facilitate the delivery of exceptionally good patient care in general practice: a qualitative study with patients and primary care professionals","authors":"Roisin O’Malley, Paul O’Connor, Sinéad Lydon","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02352-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02352-1","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, proactive strengths-based approaches to improving quality of care have been advocated. The positive deviance approach seeks to identify and learn from those who perform exceptionally well. Central to this approach is the identification of the specific strategies, behaviours, tools and contextual strategies used by those positive deviants to perform exceptionally well. This study aimed to: identify and collate the specific strategies, behaviours, processes and tools used to support the delivery of exceptionally good care in general practice; and to abstract the identified strategies into an existing framework pertaining to excellence in general practice; the Identifying and Disseminating the Exceptional to Achieve Learning (IDEAL) framework. This study comprised a secondary analysis of data collected during semi-structured interviews with 33 purposively sampled patients, general practitioners, practice nurses, and practice managers. Discussions explored the key factors and strategies that support the delivery of exceptional care across five levels of the primary care system; the patient, provider, team, practice, and external environment. For analysis, a summative content analysis approach was undertaken whereby data were inductively analysed and summated to identify the key strategies used to achieve the delivery of exceptionally good general practice care, which were subsequently abstracted as a new level of the IDEAL framework. In total, 222 individual factors contributing to exceptional care delivery were collated and abstracted into the framework. These included specific behaviours (e.g., patients providing useful feedback and personal history to the provider), structures (e.g., using technology effectively to support care delivery (e.g., electronic referrals & prescriptions)), processes (e.g., being proactive in managing patient flow and investigating consistently delayed wait times), and contextual factors (e.g., valuing and respecting contributions of every team member). The addition of concrete and contextual strategies to the IDEAL framework has enhanced its practicality and usefulness for supporting improvement in general practices. Now, a multi-level systems approach is needed to embed these strategies and create an environment where excellence is supported. The refined framework should be developed into a learning tool to support teams in general practice to measure, reflect and improve care within their practice.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140799674","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah Grube Jakobsen, Pernille Tanggaard Andersen, Jens Lauritsen, Christina Petrea Larsen, Elsebeth Stenager, Erik Christiansen
{"title":"Opening the black box of registration practice for self-harm and suicide attempts in emergency departments: a qualitative study","authors":"Sarah Grube Jakobsen, Pernille Tanggaard Andersen, Jens Lauritsen, Christina Petrea Larsen, Elsebeth Stenager, Erik Christiansen","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02393-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02393-6","url":null,"abstract":"The World Health Organization has called for improved surveillance of self-harm and suicide attempts worldwide to benefit suicide prevention programs. International comparisons of registrations are lacking, however, and there is a need for systematically collected, high-quality data across countries. The current study investigated healthcare professionals’ perceptions of registration practices and their suggestions for ensuring high-quality registration of self-harm and suicide attempts. Qualitative interviews (N = 20) were conducted among medical secretaries, medical doctors, nurses, and registration advisers from psychiatric and somatic emergency departments in all regions of Denmark between September 2022 and March 2023. Content analysis was performed using NVivo. Despite great efforts to standardize and assure the quality of registration in Denmark, almost all the healthcare professionals perceived registration practice as inconsistent and unreliable. Codes are often misclassified or unused due to insufficient time, non-standardized training, or insufficient information. The interview informants suggested that coding guidelines should be simplified and made more visible, alongside technical solutions in the electronic health record system. The study findings resulted in eight overall recommendations for clinical practice that aim at improving the registration of patients presenting with self-harm or suicide attempts. This would be expected to help improve surveillance and prevention programs.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"83 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140799654","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hugh Selsick, Anna Heidbreder, Jason Ellis, Luigi Ferini-Strambi, Diego García-Borreguero, Chrysoula Leontiou, Michael S.B. Mak, David O’Regan, Liborio Parrino
{"title":"Assessment and management of chronic insomnia disorder: an algorithm for primary care physicians","authors":"Hugh Selsick, Anna Heidbreder, Jason Ellis, Luigi Ferini-Strambi, Diego García-Borreguero, Chrysoula Leontiou, Michael S.B. Mak, David O’Regan, Liborio Parrino","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02381-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02381-w","url":null,"abstract":"Primary care physicians often lack resources and training to correctly diagnose and manage chronic insomnia disorder. Tools supporting chronic insomnia diagnosis and management could fill this critical gap. A survey was conducted to understand insomnia disorder diagnosis and treatment practices among primary care physicians, and to evaluate a diagnosis and treatment algorithm on its use, to identify ways to optimize it specifically for these providers. A panel of experts developed an algorithm for diagnosing and treating chronic insomnia disorder, based on current guidelines and experience in clinical practice. An online survey was conducted with primary care physicians from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, who treat chronic insomnia patients, between January and February 2023. A sub-sample of participants provided open-ended feedback on the algorithm and gave suggestions for improvements. Overall, 106 primary care physicians completed the survey. Half (52%, 55/106) reported they did not regularly screen for insomnia and half (51%, 54/106) felt they did not have enough time to address patients’ needs in relation to insomnia or trouble sleeping. The majority (87%,92/106) agreed the algorithm would help diagnose chronic insomnia patients and 82% (87/106) agreed the algorithm would help improve their clinical practice in relation to managing chronic insomnia. Suggestions for improvements were making the algorithm easier to read and use. The algorithm developed for, and tested by, primary care physicians to diagnose and treat chronic insomnia disorder may offer significant benefits to providers and their patients through ensuring standardization of insomnia diagnosis and management.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140799739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muhammad Taqi, Syed Jaffar Abbas Zaidi, Saad uddin Siddiqui, Babar Zia, Maria Khadija Siddiqui
{"title":"Dental practitioners’ knowledge, management practices, and attitudes toward collaboration in the treatment of temporomandibular joint disorders: a mixed-methods study","authors":"Muhammad Taqi, Syed Jaffar Abbas Zaidi, Saad uddin Siddiqui, Babar Zia, Maria Khadija Siddiqui","doi":"10.1186/s12875-024-02398-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02398-1","url":null,"abstract":"Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs) are a variety of conditions that affect different parts of the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) and can cause orofacial pain and functional impairment. This study aims to investigate dental practitioners’ knowledge and management of Temporomandibular Joint Disorders (TMDs), particularly their knowledge of the role physical therapy plays in TMD treatment. A mixed-methods approach was adopted to provide a comprehensive view of current knowledge, management practices, and attitudes toward collaboration among dental practitioners in treating TMD. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 335 dentists in Karachi using a detailed questionnaire to assess their knowledge of the role of physical therapy in the treatment of TMD. Twenty dentists were chosen for face-to-face, in-depth interviews to explore their experiences and challenges in managing TMDs based on their responses to the administered questionnaire. The cumulative quantitative and qualitative findings of the study revealed a landscape marked by individualized approaches to referral practices and significant gaps in interdisciplinary collaboration. Most practitioners holding a bachelor’s degree predominantly used medication (65.2%) and cause-specific treatment (65.3%) for TMD treatment. Thematic analysis of clinical efficacy and practitioner challenges in managing TMD revealed significant issues faced by dental professionals. The study successfully validated a questionnaire to understand dental practitioners’ knowledge regarding physical therapy in TMD treatment. The study identified significant gaps in knowledge and a lack of collaboration between dentists and physiotherapists. The limited referral practices highlighted in the study, along with insights from dentist interviews, emphasize the need for improved interdisciplinary approaches to managing TMDs within dental practice.","PeriodicalId":9019,"journal":{"name":"BMC Family Practice","volume":"40 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140806235","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}