IPCHS

This growing repository holds WHO documents, scientific publications, policy documents, implementation reports, presentations and others with information and insights about integrated people-centred health services. Share your publication by clicking “Add publication”.

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Sept. 21, 2023 Global

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

Progressing primary health care: a series of country case studies

The 1978 Declaration of Alma-Ata (1) was revolutionary. Many countries, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other organizations had been pursuing strategies to provide primary health care (PHC) for years (2). However, Alma-Ata made PHC central to health care policy and practice. In a world in which resources had long been focused on “vertical” health programmes, expanding the focus of health care was a novel approach for the global health community. Since this declaration, efforts to improve health have increasingly been framed in terms of building, strengthening or realigning the systems that contribute ...

Sept. 21, 2023 Global

Primary health care measurement framework and indicators: monitoring health systems through a primary health care lens

To continuously strengthen PHC, countries must be able to assess how decisions, actions and investments are addressing the broader determinants of health while improving service coverage, financial risk protection, and ultimately the health of individuals and populations. As countries strive to reorient their health systems around the principles of PHC, this document responds to Member States’ request in resolution WHA72.2 on primary health care for guidance to assess, track and monitor PHC performance to accelerate progress towards UHC and the health-related SDGs. The indicators and monitoring and evaluation conceptual framework presented in this document are based on and support ...

Sept. 19, 2023 Global

Tracking Universal Health Coverage: 2023 Global monitoring report

The world is off track to make significant progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) (SDG target 3.8) by 2030 as improvements to health services coverage have stagnated since 2015, and the proportion of the population that faced catastrophic levels of out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending has increased.

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Sept. 14, 2023 Africa South-East Asia Eastern Mediterranean Western Pacific

Primary health care case studies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Overview

Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has showcased the importance of primary health care (PHC) and revealed health system strengths as well as weaknesses.

As a defining global and national policy priority, COVID-19 has had enormous impacts on country health systems, often unveiling inequities as well as governance, stewardship and leadership challenges. COVID-19 demonstrates that trust between communities and service providers, and effective collaboration across sectors, are essential elements of successful public health responses and primary care continuity.

In 2015, the Alliance commissioned Primary Health Care Systems (PRIMASYS) case studies in twenty low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Building on these ...

Sept. 12, 2023 Europe

Towards an equitable people-centred health system for Spain

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on Spain and its devastating effects on health and health care have been felt across various domains, including the social, economic, and political spheres. Among the sectors hardest hit were the health system and its dedicated health professionals. Consequently, there has been a growing recognition among the Spanish population that the health system, often regarded as an efficient and high-quality system, requires strengthening and modernisation.

Spain held its national elections on July 23, 2023, in a context of high polarisation of public opinion and absence of clear majorities of parties in the ...

Aug. 7, 2023 Europe

Integrated care in action – primary care. Understanding how integrated care systems are redesigning primary care services

This case study shows how integrated care systems are redesigning primary care services.

Aug. 3, 2023 Americas

Integrated care and the behavioral health primary care provider

Primary care remains the main setting for delivery of psychiatric care. An integrated approach improves the ability of primary care providers (PCPs) to care for complex patients with behavioral health needs. This article describes integrated care and how physician associates/assistants can gain additional training to become behavioral health specialists.

July 31, 2023 Global

The Integrated Care Workforce: What does it Need? Who does it Take?

The health and care workforce was under pressure long before the pandemic due to the development of new technologies, recurring policy reforms and dwindling ressources. It has though taken the outcry in the aftermath of COVID-19 for researchers and policymakers to realise that something fundamental needs to change. In the integrated care literature and in this journal, the fact that integrated care implementation does not work without the involvement and support of the workforce has been a recurring theme, but also little heeded. Concepts like the Quadruple Aim or the WHO European Framework for Action for integrated health services delivery ...

July 27, 2023 Europe

Personalized Integrated Care Promoting Quality of Life for Older People: Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD) are the 2 most common neurodegenerative diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. The Personalized Integrated Care Promoting Quality of Life for Older People (PC4L) project proposes an integrated, scalable, and interactive care ecosystem that can be easily adapted to the needs of several neurodegenerative and chronic diseases, care institutions, and end user requirements.

July 24, 2023 Global

Engaging and empowering people and communities, Strengthening governance and accountability, Coordinating services within and across sectors, Creating an enabling environment

Towards applying the essential public health functions for building health systems resilience: A renewed list and key enablers for operationalization

The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change-related events, protracted conflicts, economic stressors and other health challenges, call for strong public health orientation and leadership in health system strengthening and policies. Applying the essential public health functions (EPHFs) represents a holistic operational approach to public health, which is considered to be an integrated, sustainable, and cost-effective means for supporting universal health coverage, health security and improved population health and wellbeing. As a core component of the Primary Health Care (PHC) Operational Framework, EPHFs also support the continuum of health services from health promotion and protection, disease prevention to treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative services ...