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Background: Limited research is available around patient experience of integrated behavioral health care in primary care settings.Objective: We sought to identify the major themes through which patients described their integrated behavioral health care experiences as a means of informing and improving clinic processes of integrated health care delivery.Methods: We captured viewpoints from 16 patients who experienced an integrated behavioral health care model from 2 primary care clinics and completed at least 3 visits with a behavioral health provider (BHP). Using grounded theory analyses, we coded and analyzed transcriptions for emergent themes.Analysis: The interview process yielded 3 major themes related to the BHP including (a) the BHPs’ clinic presence made behavioral health care more convenient and accessible, (b) BHPs worked within time and program limitations, and (c) BHPs helped with coping, wellness, and patient-care team communication.Conclusion: The BHPs serving in a large primary care practice and a Federally Qualified Health Center played an important role in connecting patients with behavioral health care and improving care team collaboration, both in terms of communication within the team and between the team and the patient/family.

Home remedy use is an often overlooked component of health self-management, with a rich tradition, particularly among African Americans and others who have experienced limited access to medical care or discrimination by the health care system. Home remedies can potentially interfere with biomedical treatments. This study documented the use of home remedies among older rural adults, and compared use by ethnicity (African American and white) and gender. A purposeful sample of 62 community-dwelling adults ages 65+ from rural North Carolina was selected. Each completed an in-depth interview, which probed current use of home remedies, including food and non-food remedies, and the symptoms or conditions for use. Systematic, computer-assisted analysis was used to identify usage patterns. Five food and five non-food remedies were used by a large proportion of older adults. African American elders reported greater use than white elders; women reported more use for a greater number of symptoms than men. Non-food remedies included long-available, over-the-counter remedies (e.g., Epsom salts) for which “offlabel” uses were reported. Use focused on alleviating common digestive, respiratory, skin, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Some were used for chronic conditions in lieu of prescription medications. Home remedy use continues to be a common feature of the health self-management of older adults, particularly among African Americans, though at lower levels than previously reported. While some use is likely helpful or benign, other use has the potential to interfere with medical management of disease. Health care providers should be aware of the use of remedies by their patients.