Abstract
Objectives
To identify barriers and enablers to primary care in Australian residential aged care homes (RACHs).
Study design
Scoping review of articles published from 2019 to June 2024 in which barriers and enablers to primary care in Australian RACHs have been quantitatively measured, qualitatively collected or reported following implementation.
Data sources
Medline, CINAHL, AgeLine, Cochrane, Scopus, JBI, and Google Scholar.
Data synthesis
Of 1705 records screened, 28 studies were included, which were predominantly qualitative or mixed methods. They included general practitioner, nurse practitioner, pharmacy, allied health, oral health and dental services. Ninety barriers and 72 enablers were identified, and inductively classified into seven categories: System Level: 1. Funding and Resources; Organisational Level: 2. Employment and Service Models, 3. Management and Culture and, 4. Collaboration, Coordination and Communication; and Individual Level: 5. Workload, Job Satisfaction and Security, 6. Attributes, Skills and Preparedness for Role and, 7. Recipient Needs, Attitudes and Preferences. Barriers and enablers related to ‘Funding and Resources’ and ‘Employment and Service Models’ appeared key, interacting with multiple categories. On-site models were reported to foster greater collaboration and care.
Conclusions
This review revealed the systems-, organisational- and individual-level factors that influence primary care in Australian RACHs. These can be considered when designing future initiatives to increase primary care access in RACHs. With the Australian Government recently introducing funding to employ on-site pharmacists, this is an opportunity for systematic evaluation of on-site models to inform future policies, which can be considered for extension to other professions.
Registration
Open Science Framework, https://osf.io/nyqrm/
To identify barriers and enablers to primary care in Australian residential aged care homes (RACHs).
Study design
Scoping review of articles published from 2019 to June 2024 in which barriers and enablers to primary care in Australian RACHs have been quantitatively measured, qualitatively collected or reported following implementation.
Data sources
Medline, CINAHL, AgeLine, Cochrane, Scopus, JBI, and Google Scholar.
Data synthesis
Of 1705 records screened, 28 studies were included, which were predominantly qualitative or mixed methods. They included general practitioner, nurse practitioner, pharmacy, allied health, oral health and dental services. Ninety barriers and 72 enablers were identified, and inductively classified into seven categories: System Level: 1. Funding and Resources; Organisational Level: 2. Employment and Service Models, 3. Management and Culture and, 4. Collaboration, Coordination and Communication; and Individual Level: 5. Workload, Job Satisfaction and Security, 6. Attributes, Skills and Preparedness for Role and, 7. Recipient Needs, Attitudes and Preferences. Barriers and enablers related to ‘Funding and Resources’ and ‘Employment and Service Models’ appeared key, interacting with multiple categories. On-site models were reported to foster greater collaboration and care.
Conclusions
This review revealed the systems-, organisational- and individual-level factors that influence primary care in Australian RACHs. These can be considered when designing future initiatives to increase primary care access in RACHs. With the Australian Government recently introducing funding to employ on-site pharmacists, this is an opportunity for systematic evaluation of on-site models to inform future policies, which can be considered for extension to other professions.
Registration
Open Science Framework, https://osf.io/nyqrm/
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 106032 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics |
| Volume | 140 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2026 |
Keywords
- Primary care
- Health services
- Residential aged care homes
- Older adults, ageing
