Abstract

Background With an aging population and increasing comorbidities, supporting people to remain at home for as long as possible is essential. A major challenge in home care is ensuring coordinated, interprofessional collaboration among all actors involved: patients and their close ones, health and social care professionals, and the broader health and social network. To address this challenge, a new organizational model promoting reinforced interprofessional collaboration, the “Réseau Interprofessionnel Ambulatoire de Proximité” (Local Interprofessional Outpatient Network; RIAP) has recently been developed in the canton of Geneva. The aim of this paper is to present the protocol for a research project evaluating both the effectiveness and implementation of this model.

Methods This is a type-2 hybrid effectiveness implementation study guided by the RE-AIM framework, aiming to evaluate the RIAP organizational model and its implementation, context, and outcomes. This multi-method study will examine the RIAP model under real-world conditions. Routinely collected data on patient outcomes and institutional processes will be used to compare the RIAP model with usual care. Questionnaires will assess patients’ perceptions of continuity of care, professionals’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration, and stakeholders’ views on the acceptability of the model. Open-ended questions will be included to explore experiences and insights in greater depth, complemented by qualitative data on barriers and facilitators to implementation. Financial indicators will also be analyzed to contextualize the model within the institutional setting.

Results The EFFI-RIAP project began in October 2025 and has a planned duration of 22 months. The project will primarily rely on the reuse of institutional routine data, complemented by questionnaires and qualitative data collection scheduled for September 2026. At the time of submission, study preparation and institutional data processing are ongoing.

Discussion This research will provide insights into the clinical, organizational, and implementation-related effects of the RIAP model compared with usual care. The natural deployment of new RIAP teams will enable investigation of the organizational model under real-world conditions. The combined evaluation of the effectiveness and implementation of RIAP will assess the model’s added value, inform refinement, and identify potential barriers and facilitators relevant to implementation in other teams.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

The EFFI-RIAP project is funded by the Institution genevoise de maintien à domicile (IMAD). IMAD is an autonomous public institution, a licensed home care institution and support organization operating under Swiss Federal and Cantonal law. As a public institution financed by the State and Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, the funding provided by IMAD for the EFFI-RIAP project constitutes public institutional funding.

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

The Commission Cantonale d'Ethique de la Recherche sur l'être humain (CCER; Cantonal Committee of Research Ethics) of the Canton of Geneva waived ethical approval for this work (Refs: Req-2025-01715; Req-2025-01716).

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable.

Yes

Data Availability

Institutional data used in this study are subject to confidentiality restrictions and cannot be shared. Project-specific anonymized data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

List of AbbreviationsAIMAcceptability of Intervention MeasureCMNCase manager nurseCOMIDComplexité multidimensionnelle pour la pratique infirmière à domicile IAM Intervention Appropriatives MeasureICSInterprofessional Collaboration ScaleIMADInstitution genevoise de maintien à domicile (Geneva Home Care Institution)interRAI-HCInternational Resident Assessment Instrument Home Care PCP Primary care physicianPECQPatient Experienced Continuity of Care QuestionnairePEIPsychological Empowerment InstrumentPREMPatient-reported experience measureRE-AIMAcronym for Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, MaintenanceRIAPRéseau interprofessionnel ambulatoire de proximité (Local interprofessional outpatient network)UWESUtrecht Work Engagement Scale