Team care in chronic illness: a critical review of the literature of the past 25 years.

Accumulated literature over the past 25 years about the team approach to chronic disease can be divided into three broad categories: (1) the opinion base which reflects statements of belief and faith, (2) the descriptive base which contains details and personal testimony of programs using team concepts and (3) the study base which includes serious research efforts to investigate the effectiveness of team care in various settings. An analysis of the articles in the last category provides a useful insight into the problems and possibilities associated with this neglected area of health care research. The populations studied include patients with heart disease, hypertension, stroke, hip fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and groups referred for comprehensive rehabilitation. The majority of the studies demonstrated improved outcomes in one or more areas for patients receiving coordinated team care when compared with control groups. Although these studies serve as a useful guide, the extent to which the findings can be generalized is open to serious question. In the absence of additional research, team care will remain as it is today, largely a matter of faith and the subject of many platitudes. An outline is proposed of the major methodological features which should be considered in the planning and/or evaluation of future studies in this area.