“No One Ever Took Responsibility for Coordinating a Team”: Multidisciplinary Team Care Experiences for People With Chronic Conditions in Primary Care

Managing chronic conditions in primary health settings requires coordinated, collaborative, multidisciplinary care, yet older Australians with chronic conditions encounter care challenges, despite longstanding, Medicare‐funded Chronic Disease Management services. Patients’ perspectives on care challenges outside hospitals are poorly understood, prompting an online survey via Pureprofile to capture experiences of team communication, care coordination, and the impact of multidisciplinary care on health management. The mixed‐method survey recruited 515 participants aged 45 and older living with at least one chronic condition for more than 6 months and who received primary care in the past year. Quantitative ratings of satisfaction and coordination were combined with qualitative experiences of healthcare teams. We integrated descriptive statistics and heatmap visualisations with qualitative themes through content analysis. Although established policies exist and participants reported high satisfaction ratings, they still experienced fragmented care due to poorly defined coordination roles, financial barriers blocking access to planned services, and varying practice infrastructure. Successful coordination relied on organisational factors rather than policy frameworks alone, including co‐location, integrated information systems, and clear role delineation. Investigation of optimal team structures for coordinated care across different populations could inform evidence‐based reforms aligning funding and service design with demonstrated coordination effectiveness.