Improving Care for People with Long Term Conditions

This report, published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland, argues that pharmacist led care of people with long term conditions could deliver better results and be more cost effective. It focuses on the role of the pharmacist as part of a multidisciplinary approach to tackling the challenges facing the NHS in providing the highest quality care and support for people with long term conditions.

Towards universal health coverage and sustainable financing in Afghanistan: progress and challenges

Afghanistan has made impressive progress in introducing primary health care across the country over the last fifteen years. In the face of the diverse challenges ranging from persistent insecurity, conservative social norms, weak public financing, and reducing donor aid, Afghanistan is arguably among one of the most challenging contexts to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). Therefore, it is important to consider additional avenues towards UHC while building on the progress in coverage and financing of primary health care to date.
The right to health is considered a fundamental human right and UHC has gained prominence globally as a goal for countries in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UHC is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as: “access to key promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health
interventions for all at an affordable cost, thereby achieving equity in access.

Strengthening national health research systems in the WHO African Region – progress towards universal health coverage

Health challenges and health systems set-ups differ, warranting contextualised healthcare interventions to move towards universal health coverage. As such, there is emphasis on generation of contextualized evidence to solve local challenges. However, weak research capacity and inadequate resources remain an impendiment to quality research in the African region. WHO African Region (WHO AFRO) facilitated the adoption of a regional strategy for strengthening national health research systems (NHRS) in 2015. This article assessed the progress in strengthening NHRS among the 47 member states of the WHO AFRO.

A conceptual framework for capacity strengthening of health research in conflict: the case of the Middle East and North Africa region

In conflict settings, research capacities have often been de-prioritized as resources are diverted to emergency needs, such as addressing elevated morbidity, mortality and health system challenges directly and/or indirectly associated to war. This has had an adverse long-term impact in such protracted conflicts such as those found in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), where research knowledge and skills have often been compromised. This paper proposes a conceptual framework for health research capacity strengthening that adapts existing models and frameworks in low- and middle-income countries and uses the knowledge of the MENA context to contextualise them for conflict settings.

Realising the True Value of Integrated Care: Beyond COVID-19

Stronger and more resilient care systems and communities are better able to cope, respond and adapt to new challenges and crises such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. They are able to quickly come together to ‘act as one’ and collaborate across disciplines and sectors towards a common goal. This is the essence of integrated care and this is what the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) stands for – creating a more connected health and care system.

Health Networks in Action: The experiences of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico

Dioselina is a 54-year-old divorcée who has no children and lives alone in a large city. She has been unemployed for a year and just started receiving welfare six months ago. As for her health, she has long-term obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and diabetes. In recent months, she began to develop foot ulcers because her blood sugar was not being monitored properly, which is attributable in part to difficulty accessing healthcare services and getting medications and lab tests. If she does not receive rapid treatment and more specialized care for the ulcers, they could worsen and require hospitalization.

A growing number of people who seek health care have stories like Dioselina’s. Healthcare systems in Latin America and the Caribbean face significant health challenges affecting all age groups, which cause premature death and take a heavy social and economic toll.

Taking cues from the Declaration of Astana, nations ...

From Crisis to Coordination: Challenges and Opportunities for Integrated Care posed by the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic caused by Covid 19 affects all types of countries and societies without distinction. However, within the com link, the unit shows brutal inequality in its "attack."The impact of COVID-19 has thrown into sharp relief the problems that fragmented health and care systems face in adapting to crises that require an urgent and collaborative response. The disproportionate impact of the pandemic – for example on ethnic minority and indigenous populations; on older people living in residential aged care facilities; on those living in rural and remote communities; on the poorest; and on people with the most complex health and care needs – says much about our continued inability to coordinate care and support our vulnerable communities, and so expose them to disproportionate risk.

This editorial does not propose 3 action challenges:

Challenge 1: Responses to COVID-19 have largely NOT been integrated, leading to adverse outcome

Challenge 2: Responses continue to ...

Medical and Old-Age Care Integration Model and Implementation of the Integrated Care of Older People (ICOPE) in China: Opportunities and Challenges

The demand for healthy old-age care is growing rapidly in China. The traditional old-age care model can no longer meet elderly patients’ demands for medical care and old-age care. To promote the development of medical care-integrated old-age care, a solution covering multiple aspects is necessary. In the context of the global development of healthy aging, China recently issued many policies to integrate old-age care with medical care, establishing protection for a large number of disabled elderly people. The Integrated Care of Older People (ICOPE) project is an international program developed by the World Health Organization. This paper reviews China’s medical and old-age care integration model and the opportunities and challenges in implementing the ICOPE in the context of healthy aging in China.

Integrated care in every community

Our health and care needs are changing, with more people living longer often with multiple long term conditions. This animation explains the challenges facing the health and care system and how partnerships are being formed between the NHS, local government and the third sector to integrate care and better meet our health and care needs now and in the future. A BSL (British Sign Language) version of this video can be found here: https://youtu.be/b51AdiQf1w4

Strong Integrated Care Systems Everywhere

One of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic is that people need support which is joined up across local councils, the NHS and voluntary and community organisations. This video explains how Integrated Care Systems (ICSs) embed this collaboration, helping local services to respond to the challenges of the pandemic and beyond. We want to make ICSs as strong and effective as possible in every part of England, with partnership working with the ambition to tackle health inequalities, help communities thrive and achieve the very best for everyone. For more information visit: www.england.nhs.uk/integratedcare/

Challenges, progress, opportunities: European and Central Asian health systems

New WHO studies look at health systems across 14 countries in Europe and Central Asia to reveal how to better invest in the health of millions Allowing policy-makers the chance to compare and collaborate, recent studies from the World Health Organization present countries’ health systems at a glance.

Many citizens in the WHO European Region are fortunate to live in countries where the health system can look after them when they fall ill. But sadly, for millions of others, falling ill means having to choose between paying for medical treatment and paying for food, education and other necessities.

In some countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, more than half of health spending is paid out of pocket when people use health services, rising above 70% in some cases. When government’s public spending for health care is low, households face hardship and financial ruin. This needs to change, and ...

The Post–COVID-19 Case for Primary Care

Much has been written and discussed about challenges faced by the US health care system, with most of it justifiably concerning the payment system for medical services, and how that leaves an unconscionably large proportion of US residents uninsured or underinsured for quality care. Although payment systems are undoubtedly a challenge and merit substantial conversation, the structure of US health care delivery also leaves much to be desired.

Central to that problem is the paucity of primary care physicians in the US. The approximately 200 000 active primary care physicians in the US represent about 30% of all active physicians, down from 32% about 10 years ago. About 28% of men and 17% of women report they do not have a primary care physician. The Council on Graduate Medical Education recommended an increase in the proportion of primary care physicians to 40%, a recommendation now further from reality than ...