• Dominik Alex Nowak, Natasha Yasmin Sheikhan, Sumana Christina Naidu, Kerry Kuluski, and UpshurRoss E GREGFamily physician and Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, Head of the Division of Clinical Public Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public H.
• Family physician and adjunct faculty in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto in Ontario.
• Can Fam Physician. 2021 Sep 1; 67 (9): 679688679-688.

ObjectiveTo summarize and synthesize qualitative studies that report patient and physician perspectives on continuity of care in family practice.Data SourcesMEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE (Ovid), and PsycInfo (Ovid) were searched for qualitative primary research reporting perspectives of patients, physicians, or both, on continuity of care in family practice.Study SelectionEnglish-language qualitative studies were selected (eg, interviews, focus groups, mixed methods) that were conducted in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, New Zealand, or Australia.SynthesisThemes were extracted, summarized, and synthesized. Six overarching themes emerged: continuity of care enables person-centred care; continuity of care increases quality of care; continuity of care leads to greater confidence in medical decision making; continuity of care comes with drawbacks; the absence of continuity of care may lead to medical and psychological harm; and continuity of care can foster greater joy and meaning in a physician's work. Out of the 6 themes, patients and physicians shared the first 5.ConclusionTo the authors' knowledge, this is the first qualitative review reporting the unique perspectives of both patients and family physicians on continuity of care. The findings add nuanced insight to the importance of continuity of care in family practice.Copyright © 2021 the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

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