Nov. 25, 2019 Europe Publication

Government leadership that supports community-lead integrated care: An analysis of advances and missteps

Integrated care that substantively impacts population health as well as provides quality care requires buy-in, engagement and commitment over time by a plethora of  government and community groups. There is considerable evidence of the complexity of care models that work such that long term commitment is required to truly impact health. These days, beyond work opportunities, most municipal government and community leaders realise that good quality health services are critical to retaining and recruiting residents, especially noteworthy as an issue in rural communities.  How do places manage bottom-up, top-down tensions as politics and control issues intervene across differrent levels of government? What sort of governmental leadership inspires community engagement versus chronic frustration?

Feb. 16, 2021 Americas, Europe Publication

A Conceptual Framework for Integrated Community Care

The various health and social care services provided in a given local area (i.e., place-based) must not only deliver primary care in proximity to the population, but act upstream on the social determinants of health. This type of care, when provided in a holistic and integrated manner, aims to improve the physical and mental health—but also the well-being and social capital—of individuals, families, groups and communities. This type of approach is known as Integrated Community Care (ICC).

This article was developed from a non-systematic review of scientific and grey literature followed by a qualitative analysis and researcher reflections on ICC. It presents the core concepts of ICC, namely temporality, local area, health care, social care, proximity and integration. These concepts are unpacked and a conceptual diagram is set forth to put the dynamic links between the concepts into perspective.

The purpose of the article is to provide ...

March 3, 2022 Western Pacific Publication

Community-Based Integrated Care Units: Intermediate Care Units for Older Adults in Japan

Demographic changes caused by the global aging of the population are leading to increased medical and care costs. Several models of care that avoid admission to general acute care hospitals, increased medical costs, and poor outcomes after hospitalization are being explored. Ribbink et al. reported on the subacute care unit (SCU) in Spain and the acute geriatric care hospital (AGCH) in the Netherlands as intermediate care units that provided an alternative to admission to a general hospital. In the present letter, we introduce the characteristics and outcomes of community-based integrated care units (CICUs) in Japan, which function as intermediate care units.

April 4, 2023 Europe Publication

Regional technical meeting on integrated care delivery

This report summarizes the discussion that took place during the Regional technical meeting on integrated care delivery. It represents a continuation of the discussion held as part of the Regional technical meeting on strengthening the integrated delivery of long-term care in the European region, in December 2021, bringing an expanded focus on integration as a transversal issue for health and long-term care systems and an important stepping stone for achieving universal health coverage. Participants discussed and shared evidence and lessons learned on the principles, the practice, the enablers and on-going challenges to improving coordination within and across health and long-term care systems, with particular attention to integration of primary care and community-based long-term care services.