IPCHS Practices

Learn from real-life experiences with health services reform. We distinguish three types: emerging, promising and leading practices. Share your practice by clicking "Add practice".

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Oct. 11, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care

Strengthening community-based mental health services in Cyprus

New political commitments to mental health reform led the government to pass the Mental Health Act in 1997 to promote community-based mental health care; a wide variety of community-based mental health services have been made available, with emphasis on services for prevention, early treatment, rehabilitation and home care; advocacy from the health workforce motivated reforms and helped define the vision for care transformations; strategic timing was an important contributing factor in achieving political support for mental health reform; partnerships with NGOs and volunteer organizations helped expand the continuum of mental health care.

Oct. 4, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Developing guidelines to reduce under-five child mortality in the Republic of Moldova

The government developed an under-five child mortality reduction initiative and established new standards and protocols for the observation of childhood illness; research conducted prior to the initiative identified the root causes of problems and provided evidence of the need to act; guidance and support from the Ministry of Health led to coordinated intersectoral action Educating and expanding providers’ competencies challenged pre-held attitudes regarding the detection and treatment of childhood illness; joint-sector delivery by health providers and social workers facilitated more comprehensive and coordinated care for patients; national ownership over the initiative was important; activities were fully integrated into national standards ...

Sept. 7, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors

Introducing palliative care in Serbia

The Ministry of Health established the Palliative Care Task Force and adopted the National Strategy for Palliative Care to guide the development of palliative care across Serbia; partnerships with international organizations, local NGOs and supportive government actors helped secure buy-in at the national level; developing a legislative and political base was essential for creating a foundation on which to build the initiative; securing EU funding provided additional resources to support activities; incorporating a new palliative care philosophy within professional culture required extensive training, communication, advocacy and time; formalizing educational opportunities through university partnerships helped to ensure sustainability.

Sept. 7, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Integrating health and social care in San Marino

In 2004, the Government of San Marino began the process of integrating the health and social care system to improve care coordination and efficiency, and published the first social-health plan in 2006 to help guide change; health and social care reforms reinforced already widespread informal practices in service delivery and nurtured the existing spirit of mutual respect, collaboration and effective communication; familiarity and close professional relationships across health and social care sectors were integral to the development of the initiative; integration of management structures at the system level provided a strong platform from which to drive integration at the service ...

Sept. 7, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Advancing nursing roles to improve disease prevention services in Samara, Russian Federation

Polyclinic 15 led an initiative to expand health promotion and disease prevention services by advancing nursing roles. Nurses now independently care for lower-risk patients, perform screenings and deliver health education; expanding nurses’ scope of practice helped to overcome physicians’ capacity barriers. Physicians now report having more time for high-risk patients; continuous training, backed by supportive legislation and incentives, helped to institutionalize new practices; international partnerships supported the transfer of knowledge and advancement of nursing; health education helped empower patients to self-manage their conditions and adopt lifestyle changes.

Sept. 7, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors

Integrating occupational therapy into cancer care in the Netherlands

Reade – an organization specializing in rehabilitative care – introduced a package of services specifically tailored to the needs of cancer patients and cancer survivors; support from Reade’s management in developing protocols and negotiating with national-level actors was essential for the implementation of the initiative; providers within Reade were brought together to apply their skills to treating the complex needs of cancer patients and survivors. Providers work in multidisciplinary teams to enable the delivery of more comprehensive care; initiative leaders built strong working relationships with external providers. This helped bring other providers on board with Reade’s new care concept and ...

Sept. 7, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Strengthening diabetes service delivery at the primary care level in Iceland

Following grassroots efforts to increase the role of primary care providers in managing patients with diabetes, formal clinical guidelines to support diabetes care delivery at the primary level were published in 2009. The delivery of diabetes-related care in primary settings is increasing as a result; knowledge gained through experiences working abroad provided inspiration for the initiative and fostered local innovation; informal discussions among providers had sufficient power to initially motivate and direct change; incorporating trainings for providers into the formal education system helped to establish a new standard of care and ensured sustainability of knowledge.

Sept. 7, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Reorienting the model of care, Coordinating services within and across sectors

Community support programmes for people affected by dementia in Athens, Greece

The nonprofit organization AAADRD opened four day care centres across Athens to directly provide support services to people affected by dementia. The organization also campaigned extensively to gain attention for their cause and pushed the government to develop a national dementia action plan; highly motivated actors directly affected by dementia or working in related fields played an important role in identifying and understanding service delivery gaps; as a specialized organization, AAADRD was able to mobilize a large network of dedicated supporters. Connections established with similar organizations furthered advocacy efforts; sustainability of the initiative relies on growing government commitment, securing resources ...

Sept. 6, 2016 Europe

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Advancing the role of nurses in Finland to improve patients’ access to care

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Health promoted the shift of responsibilities from physicians to nurses through implementing supportive policies, legislation and incentives; partnerships and international networks facilitated information exchanges and offered inspiration for activities during the initiative’s design; national legislation provided the necessary framework for aligning changes in the professional scope of practice for nurses; the development of postgraduate advanced nursing programmes in partnership with universities supported the sustainability of the initiative and ensured the continuing development of nursing skills; advancing nursing roles contributed to professional empowerment and improved workplace well-being for both nurses and physicians.

Sept. 6, 2016 Europe

Strengthening governance and accountability, Reorienting the model of care, Creating an enabling environment

Strengthening prenatal and obstetric care in Belarus

Improving maternal and child health was established as a key government priority. Strong top-down support for change reinforced by legislation provided a guiding framework for transformations; Investigation into key challenges leading to a strong understanding of root causes ensured health reforms responded to needs; prenatal screening recommendations were developed and changes to resource distribution, provider training and incentives were implemented to promote uptake and adherence to new guidelines; financial incentives for patients helped encourage desired participation in prenatal care by women; service delivery reforms took time and adoption of a long-term vision was needed.