Evaluation of workshops for healthcare professional training, in individualised care-planning

Background: Long-term conditions and their management are a major health problem (Dept. of Health 2006). New government policy requires individual patient care-planning in primary care, (Dept. of Health 2008). Care-planning in diabetes is currently being implemented in primary care, through a variety of means. Methods: Teams from general practices in the West Yorkshire region were invited to attend workshops on the care-planning process. After attendance at these workshops some practices engage in pilot implementation of care-planning models with selected patients with long-term conditions. Initial evaluation focused on workshop participants' perceptions of the care planning process, implementation issues and benefits or barriers to using care-planning in practice. Focus group discussions were carried out and content analysed for emerging issues to be identified. Results: Seven workshop sessions were completed with attendance by General Practitioners, practice nurses, practice managers and others, usually in practice teams (n5122). Perceptions identified: care planning includes patients in decision-making; gives patients choice of services; allows pre-visit consultation; improves patient/ provider relationship; could increase anxiety inpatients; increased bureaucracy; increased consultation time and costs; formalising established practice; further training required to fully implement care-planning. Comments: It is encouraging that care-planning is receiving increased attention in primary care. Evaluation of the workshops suggests that practitioners want further training in advanced consultation skills and behavioural interventions, in order to implement care-planning successfully.