Perceived needs for team-based visits in Swedish child health services exceed its existence – a mixed-methods study targeting healthcare professionals

AIM To investigate both quantitatively and qualitatively the differences between participation in team-based visits (TBVs) and perceived needs for TBVs from the perspectives of healthcare professionals, in the context of the Swedish three-tier national Child Healthcare program. METHODS A study-specific questionnaire, including multiple-choice questions with fixed and free-text response options, was developed, and used. To capture healthcare professionals' experiences and find explanations for the quantitative results in qualitative data, a convergent parallel mixed-methods study design was used. Descriptive statistics and McNemar's test were used to analyze the quantitative data, and content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. RESULTS Healthcare professionals perceived the need for TBVs in the Swedish Child Healthcare Services (CHS) to a high extent. The largest difference between the perceived need for TBVs and experienced TBVs was for indications associated with psychosocial problems. The quantitative findings were explored by the qualitative findings. Both individual and organizational factors influenced TBVs. CONCLUSION Perceived needs for TBVs in Swedish CHS exceed its existence. Healthcare professionals require TBVs delivered by interprofessional teams, in line with proportionate universalism. Accordingly, organizational structures (e.g., co-location and clear instructions on how to distribute TBVs) and human resources (e.g., psychologists and social worker) are needed.