ICARE4EU: Innovating care for people with multiple chronic conditions in Europe

The ICARE4EU project, financially supported by the Health Programme 2008-2013 of the European Commission, wants to improve the care for people suffering from multiple chronic conditions in Europe: Sharing knowledge and experiences to develop new policies and practices. 

The symposium will take place in Brussels, 22 March 2016 and the participation is free of charge, only is necessary to send an email to be registered.  

For questions or further information, please contact: 

Verena Struckmann – verena.struckmann@tu-berlin.de
Or visit their website www.icare4eu.org

Health services delivery: a concept note

Presentation on the European Framework for Action on Integrated Health Services Delivery

Exploring payment schemes used to promote integrated chronic care in Europe

The rising burden of chronic conditions has led several European countries to reform healthcare payment schemes. This paper aimed to explore the adoption and success of payment schemes that promote integration of chronic care in European countries. A literature review was used to identify European countries that employed pay-for-coordination (PFC), pay-for-performance (PFP), and bundled payment schemes. Existing evidence from the literature was supplemented with fifteen interviews with chronic care experts in these countries to obtain detailed information regarding the payment schemes, facilitators and barriers to their implementation, and their perceived success.

Austria, France, England, the Netherlands, and Germany have implemented payment schemes that were specifically designed to promote the integration of chronic care. Prominent factors facilitating implementation included stakeholder cooperation, adequate financial incentives for stakeholders, and flexible task allocation among different care provider disciplines. Common barriers to implementation included misaligned incentives across stakeholders and gaming. The implemented payment schemes targeted ...

Exploring Integration of Care for Children Living with Complex Care Needs Across the European Union and European Economic Area

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (to which all european Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) Member States are signatories) defines the highest attainable standard of healthcare as a fundamental right of every child. This study is embedded in the various peculiarities of national healthcare systems and the ethical and legal concerns bound to the sharing of child health data, being his aim to report on the development of surveys to explore integration of care for children living with complex needs across the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA)

Integrated Care in Europe: Time to Get it Together?

Adoption of the concept of person-centred care into discourse in Europe: a systematic literature review

This study aims to describe how person-centred care, as a concept, has been adopted into discourse in 23 European countries in relation to their healthcare systems (Beveridge, Bismarck, out of pocket). Our findings clarify those countries using the Beveridge healthcare model rank higher on accepting/adopting the concept of person-centered care in discourse. To adopt the concept of person-centred care in discourse requires a systematic approach at all levels in the organisation—from the national (politicians) and regional (guideline) to the local (specific healthcare settings) levels of healthcare.

Co-designing an Integrated Care Network With People Living With Parkinson's Disease: From Patients' Narratives to Trajectory Analysis

An integrated care model for people living with Parkinson's disease (PD) offers the promise of meeting complex care needs in a person-centered way that addresses fragmentation and improves quality of life. The purpose of our research was to co-design a care delivery model that supports both social and medical care from the perspective of patients and care partners. In the first step of our co-design approach, participants from five countries were invited to share their experiences of living with PD during a narrative interview. A qualitative analysis of these narrative interviews based on the Corbin and Strauss model was done to map out patients' trajectories. Three typical trajectories were identified: (a) the "unpredictable" trajectory, (b) the "situated" trajectory, and (c) the "demanding" trajectory. Based on the analysis of these trajectories, we were able to integrate various patient experiences into the design of an integrated care network.

The European Health Data Space: A step towards digital and integrated care systems

In December 2021, EGIDE, the Expert Group for integrated Care and Digital Health Europe, has launched a paper ‘The European Health Data Space: A step towards digital and integrated care systems’.

The paper aims to represent the views of the chronic disease community. It provides a unique combination of perspectives from academia, healthcare professionals, patients and industry. The authors acknowledge too many patients across Europe are experiencing fragmented and delayed care. COVID-19 has highlighted the weaknesses of our healthcare systems and the need for rapid transformation. The European Health Data Space can act as a catalyst for change in several important areas.

Integrated care in Western Europe: a wise solution for the future?

Integrated care (IC) is a term commonly adopted across the world underpinning a positive attitude against fragmentation of healthcare service provision. While the principles supporting IC are simple, their implementation is more controversial.

Rebuilding for sustainability and resilience: strengthening the integrated delivery of long-term care in the European Region

The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (‎COVID-19)‎ has revealed and accentuated important gaps in the provision of appropriate, community-based, long-term care services for a rapidly growing number of people experiencing decline in functional ability, across the WHO European Region. As countries work to rebuild and strengthen health and long-term care systems, it is essential to support broad dialogue, a common vision forchange and focused interventions to bridge existing divides. This policy brief proposes a conceptual framework that maps long-term care actions within the health and social policy landscape and highlights the need and potential for deeper integration and coordination across systems.

Values Underpinning Integrated, People-Centred Health Services: Similarities and Differences among Actor Groups Across Europe

In addition to the functional aspects of healthcare integration, an understanding of its normative aspects is needed. This study explores the importance of values underpinning integrated, people-centred health services, and examines similarities and differences among the values prioritised by actors across Europe.

Healthcare professionals’ experiences of job satisfaction when providing person-centred care: a systematic review of qualitative studies

This qualitative systematic review aimed to explore and synthesise healthcare professionals’ (HCPs) experiences of job satisfaction when providing person-centred care (PCC) in healthcare settings in Europe.