Supporting professionals to implement integrated, person-centered care for people with chronic conditions: the TARGET pilot study

OBJECTIVE: The TARGET program for integrated, person-centered care for people with chronic conditions offers primary care (PC) professionals a set of tools and trainings to actively engage in population segmentation and person-centered needs assessments (PCNAs). A pilot study was conducted to gain insight into the program's feasibility and acceptability, and identify preconditions for successful implementation. DESIGN AND SETTING: Seven Dutch PC practices participated in a half-year pilot study starting in August 2020. We performed a review of the population segmentation tool, observed four training sessions and 15 PCNAs, and interviewed 15 professionals and 12 patients. RESULTS: Regarding feasibility and acceptability, we found that the tools and trainings provided professionals with skills to use the segmentation tool and take a more coaching role in the well-appreciated PCNAs. Concerning implementation preconditions, we found that team commitment and network connections need improvement, although work pleasure increased and professionals generally wanted the program to continue. CONCLUSIONS: While the content of the TARGET program is supported by its users, the implementation process, for instance team commitment to the program, needs more attention in future upscaling efforts.