The Western Sydney Integrated Care Program (WSICP): Qualitative Evaluation

The ageing population together with an increasing prevalence of chronic conditions require a systems wide integrated approach to health care. This includes overcoming barriers between primary and secondary care, physical and mental health, and health and social care in order to provide patient centred care. In Australia, the New South Wales Ministry of Health is piloting an innovative Integrated Care Program in Western Sydney, foccussed on care facilitator roles to coordinate patient care between General Practices and hospitals. 

Operationalizing mHealth to improve patient care: a qualitative implementation science evaluation of the WelTel texting intervention in Canada and Kenya

Mobile health (mHealth) applications have proliferated across the  globe with much enthusiasm, although few have reached scale and shown public health impact. In this study, they explored how different contextual factors influenced the implementation, effectiveness and potential for scale-up of welTel, an easy-to-use and evidence-based mHealth intervention. WelTel uses two-way SMS communication to improve patient adherence to medication and engagement in care, and has been developed and tested in Canada and Kenya. 

Analyze and improve the patient flow in hospital environments, with improved layout different sectors: A case study of Shahid Beheshti hospital, Iran

Hospital officials are looking to reduce traffic on the hospital wards. The less congestion on the ward, cause that the staff work by more quality and freely also patients are waiting less. As a result it is easier to treat the patients. One of the most effective ways to reduce the patient traffic is changing the layout of the hospital. In this study, changing the layout of the hospital was explore by a case study in Shahid Behesthti Hospital. This research aims to optimize a hospital patient flow by using computerized relationship layout planning. 

An Evaluation of the Role of an Intermediate Care Facility in the Continuum of Care in Western Cape, South Africa

A comprehensive primary healthcare (PHC) approach requires clear referral and continuity of care pathways. South Africa is a lower- middle income country (LMIC) that lacks data on the role of intermediate care (IC) services in the health system. This study described the model of service provision at one facility in Cape Town, including reason for admission, the mix of services and skills provided and needed, patient satisfaction, patient outcome and articulation with other services across the spectrum of care. 

How to assess and prepare health systems in low- and middle-income countries for integration of services—a systematic review

Despite growing support for integration of frontline services, a lack of information about the pre-conditions necessary to integrate such services hampers the ability of policy makers and implementers to assess how feasible or worthwhile integration may be, especially in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). This article adopted a modified systematic review with aspects of realist review, including quantitative and qualitative studies that incorporated assessment of health system preparedness for capacity to implement integrated services. 

Good collaborative practice: reforming capacity building governance of international health research partnerships

In  line with the policy objetives of the United Nations sustainable Development Goals, this commentary seeks to examine the extent which provisions of international health research guidance promote capacity building and equitable partnerships in global health research. Theri evaluation finds that governance of collaborative research partnership, in resource- constrained settigns is limited but has improved with the implementation guidance of the International Ethical Guidelines for Health- related Research Involving Humans by The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS 2016)

Person-centred care in 2017: Evidence from service users

Policy makers have been aspiring to a ‘patient-centred NHS’ in England for at least 20 years. In 2008, patient experience became a key part of the national definition of quality in healthcare; and in 2012 that was codified in law.
Person-centred care has become an increasingly prominent stated ambition both of national policy and local practice. In 2013, the Department of Health and all the system leading bodies across health and social care in England declared a shared commitment to making ‘person-centred coordinated care’ the normiv.

What difference, if any, have these stated ambitions made to the experiences of people ...

The Joint Action on Health Workforce Planning and Forecasting: Results of a European programme to improve health workforce policie

Health workforce (HWF) planning and forecasting is faced with a number of challenges, most notably a lack of consistent terminology, a lack of data, limited model, demand based, and future-based planning and limited inter-country collaboration. The Joint Action on Health Workforce Planning and Forecsting (JAHWF, 2013-2016) aimed to move foward on the HWF planning process and support countries in tackling the key challenges facing the HWF and HWF planning. This paper synthesizes and discusses the results of the JAHWF. Ti is shown that the JAHWFhas provided importatn setps towards improved HWF planning and forecasting across Europe. 

Defining indicators for assessing integrated care (2012-2014): Lessons learned on methodology and the evolution in assessment approach

Integrated care interventions are extremely complex as they tend to invilve multiple actors and different care levels. When evaluating such programmes indicators provide several benefits in comparison with other approaches. The Agència de Qualitat Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya, through a new collaborative approach, has been working on the development of indicators specially aimed at assesing integrated care. The aim of this study was to present the methodology developed and review the evolution of the prioritized indicators in three different projects aimed at assessing chronic integrated care initiatives. 

Achieving integration for stronger health systems: lessons from integrating sexual & reproductive health and HIV services

A complete volume about building integrated health systems: lessons from HIV, sexual and reproductive health integration from "Health Policy and Planning" magazine, issue supplement 4, 1 November 2017.

Editorial