Model d'atenció integrada al pacient crònic: insuficiència cardíaca (IC), malaltia pulmonar obstructiva crònica (MPOC)

Atenció al pacient crònic; Insuficiència cardíaca; Malaltia pulmonar obstructiva crònicaAtención al paciente crónico; Insuficiencia cardíaca; Enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónicaChronic patient care; Heart failure; Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseAquest document pretén establir un marc d’actuació per a la transformació a mitjà termini de l’atenció que es presta als i les pacients crònics des de l’Institut Català de la Salut (ICS), però tenint en compte que molts dels canvis necessaris només són possibles si s’estableixen els mecanismes de col·laboració adequats entre tots els actors del sistema, específicament, si s’estableixen els incentius per tal de garantir-ne la continuïtat, i si evolucionem cap a un model d’atenció que curi i tingui cura dels i les pacients, i alhora serveixi també per reduir les hospitalitzacions innecessàries. L’abordatge s’ha fet escollint la insuficiència cardíaca (IC) i la malaltia pulmonar obstructiva crònica (MPOC), perquè són dues de les malalties que tenen un major impacte en dependència, discapacitat, qualitat de vida i anys de vida perduts al nostre país, i també, perquè concentren una part molt important del cost de la cronicitat

Development and testing of indicators to measure coordination of clinical information and management across levels of care.

BACKGROUND: Coordination across levels of care is becoming increasingly important due to rapid advances in technology, high specialisation and changes in the organization of healthcare services; to date, however, the development of indicators to evaluate coordination has been limited. The aim of this study is to develop and test a set of indicators to comprehensively evaluate clinical coordination across levels of care. METHODS: A systematic review of literature was conducted to identify indicators of clinical coordination across levels of care. These indicators were analysed to identify attributes of coordination and classified accordingly. They were then discussed within an expert team and adapted or newly developed, and their relevance, scientific soundness and feasibility were examined. The indicators were tested in three healthcare areas of the Catalan health system. 52 indicators were identified addressing 11 attributes of clinical coordination across levels of care. The final set consisted of 21 output indicators. Clinical information transfer is evaluated based on information flow (4) and the adequacy of shared information (3). Clinical management coordination indicators evaluate care coherence through diagnostic testing (2) and medication (1), provision of care at the most appropriate level (2), completion of diagnostic process (1), follow-up after hospital discharge (4) and accessibility across levels of care (4). The application of indicators showed differences in the degree of clinical coordination depending on the attribute and area. CONCLUSION:/nA set of rigorous and scientifically sound measures of clinical coordination across levels of care were developed based on a literature review and discussion with experts. This set of indicators comprehensively address the different attributes of clinical coordination in main transitions across levels of care. It could be employed to identify areas in which health services can be improved, as well as to measure the effect of efforts to improve clinical coordination in healthcare organizations.The research leading to these results received funding from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (PI10/00348) and Fondos FEDER. The funding source had no involvement in the study design, nor in the collection, analysis and interpretations of data, or in the writing of the article and the decision to submit it for publication

Doctors' opinions on clinical coordination between primary and secondary care in the Catalan healthcare system

OBJECTIVE: To analyse doctors' opinions on clinical coordination between primary and secondary care in different healthcare networks and on the factors influencing it. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive-interpretative study was conducted, based on semi-structured interviews. A two-stage theoretical sample was designed: 1) healthcare networks with different management models; 2) primary care and secondary care doctors in each network. Final sample size (n = 50) was reached by saturation. A thematic content analysis was conducted. RESULTS: In all networks doctors perceived that primary and secondary care given to patients was coordinated in terms of information transfer, consistency and accessibility to SC following a referral. However, some problems emerged, related to difficulties in acceding non-urgent secondary care changes in prescriptions and the inadequacy of some referrals across care levels. Doctors identified the following factors: 1) organizational influencing factors: coordination is facilitated by mechanisms that facilitate information transfer, communication, rapid access and physical proximity that fosters positive attitudes towards collaboration; coordination is hindered by the insufficient time to use mechanisms, unshared incentives in prescription and, in two networks, the change in the organizational model; 2) professional factors: clinical skills and attitudes towards coordination. CONCLUSIONS: Although doctors perceive that primary and secondary care is coordinated, they also highlighted problems. Identified factors offer valuable insights on where to direct organizational efforts to improve coordination