Context
Community Health Centres (CHC) have been operating in British Columbia (BC) for over 50 years and many communities are developing CHCs to help support robust primary care in their region. To support the growth and spread of CHC’s in BC, and to articulate the unique value they bring to primary care, we have been supporting provincial CHC evaluation work in collaboration with the British Columbia Association of Community Health Centres (BCACHC) and the British Columbia Primary Health Care Research Network (BCPHCRN), alongside CHCs from across BC. The first phase of this work was to develop and test an evaluation model. This work subsequently informed the development of a CHC reporting template, and has provided a baseline for current CHC evaluation planning.
Evaluation Pilot
Goals
- To develop a draft Provincial CHC Evaluation Model that aligns with the overall Ministry of Health evaluation of primary care services and the five core principles of BC CHCs.
- To implement the Model in a sample of CHCs and use the learnings to inform future CHC evaluation.
Approach
The project was conducted in five phases:
- Planning (May-August 2021): An Advisory Group of 15 members, with expertise in CHCs and evaluation, developed:
- A theoretical framework, aligned with the BC CHC Principles and the TEAM Framework;
- Evaluation questions, focused around increased access for people experiencing barriers to care, increased integration and coordination and increased community capacity to address social determinants of health; and
- Methods, including a CHC specific version of the Capacity and Access Measures in Primary Care Clinic Survey (CAMP-CS), a Client Experience survey and extraction of electronic medical record (EMR) data by the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN).
- Clinic Recruitment (September 2021-January 2022): CHCs were approached and recruited to participate in the evaluation pilot project. Data collection tools were developed and refined.
- Data Collection (February-March 2022): Participating CHCs collected data using the CAMP-CS and Client Experience survey. CPCSSN extracted EMR data.
- Reporting (April-June 2022): CAMP-CS data were summarized in individual reports for each of the participating CHCs and an additional report summarized the findings across all CHCs that had fully completed the survey. Client experience data was summarized across all CHCs to highlight the type of information that the survey could report. CPCSSN reported back to CHCs on an individual basis.
- Feedback meetings (Fall 2022): Participating CHCs provided feedback on the experience of data collection to help refine the evaluation tool and process for future.
Attachment & Reporting Learning Cycle
Leveraging the CHC Evaluation pilot, we conducted a short learning cycle focused on understanding CHC attachment and building capacity for data collection and reporting. We conducted interviews and site visits with four CHCs and then hosted a workshop with 13 CHC partners. The result was a simple and effective reporting template that has supported CHCs in their required reporting to the Ministry of Health.
Current Work
We continue to work closely with BCACHC and other CHC stakeholders to support CHC evaluation planning and to ensure alignment of the CHC evaluation with the in-progress Team-Based Primary Care Evaluation.
Additional Resources
For more information please contact Elka.Humphrys@ubc.ca.