Older people and their families' perceptions about their experiences with interprofessional teams.

AIM

To examine older people and their families' perceptions about their experiences with interprofessional teams.

DESIGN

Naturalistic inquiry using qualitative descriptive methods to provide a comprehensive summary of older people and their families' experiences with interprofessional teams.

METHODS

Interviews were conducted with 22 people from 11 families. The families had experiences with teams in a variety of settings, such as community, residential care and hospital. Data were analysed using inductive content analysis. NiVivo was used to record preliminary codes. Analysis included comparing and contrasting families' experiences.

RESULTS

Older people and their families wanted communication about what was going on, regardless of whether the news was good, bad or unknown. They also wanted care that took the concerns of the older person into consideration. Communication was a necessary ingredient to ensuring that the older person's unique concerns were known to the interprofessional team. These percepectives were discussed in the themes of communication and patient-centred care.