Integrated Services

Blindness and visual impairment continues to be a major public health problem in India. Availability and easy access to primary eye care services is essential for elimination of avoidable blindness. In the current situation, an integrated health care system with primary eye care promoted by government of India is apparently the best answer. This model is both cost effective and practical for the prevention and control of blindness among the underprivileged population. [from abstract]

District clinical specialist teams were formed in 2012. One member of the team is the family physician. The role of the district family physician is discussed and the case made for focusing on the organisational health of the medical teams practising family medicine within the district as an effective way to improve the quality of medical care delivered in the district. [from abstract]

The WHO Patient Safety Curriculum Guide for Medical Schools, published in 2009 aims to encourage and facilitate the teaching of patient safety topics to medical students.

The science of team performance and training can help the medical community improve patient safety. This report, commissioned by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), assesses the status of relevant team training research from aviation and other domains and applies this research to the field of medicine. It additionally provides a comprehensive review and evaluation of current medical team training initiatives and their effectiveness. [from resource]

This paper aims to explore and explain the use of models of care delivery that optimally utilize the role of nurses in primary healthcare, community-based care and other non-acute care contexts such as chronic disease management, long-term care, continuing care, health promotion and disease prevention. Additionally, exemplar models of care, as case studies, are identified to highlight essential elements of effective service delivery models and strategies for successful application. [from introduction]

While it is recognised that effective health care teams are associated with quality patient care, the literature is comparatively sparse in defining the outcomes of effective teamwork. This literature review of the range of organisational, team and individual benefits of teamwork complements an earlier article which summarised the antecedent conditions for (input) and team processes (throughput) of effective teams. This article summarises the evidence for a range of outcome measures of effective teams. [from abstract]

In this study, an intervention to enhance teamwork and staff engagement was tested on a medical unit in an acute care hospital. The results showed that the intervention resulted in a significantly lower patient fall rate, staff ratings of improved teamwork on the unit, and lower staff turnover and vacancy rates. Patient satisfaction ratings approached, but did not reach, statistical significance. [from abstract]

To prepare this report, an interprofessional research team conducted in-depth interviews with key informants and
undertook a wide-ranging survey of peer-reviewed and grey literature on the components of teamwork; effectiveness of teams; types of interventions; healthcare team dynamics; and the impact of government infrastructure, legislation,
and policy on teamwork in the Canadian healthcare system. [from summary]

This review examines current research on teamwork in highly dynamic domains of healthcare such as operating rooms, intensive care, emergency medicine, or trauma and resuscitation teams with a focus on aspects relevant to the quality and safety of patient care. [from abstract]

We examined associations between transdisciplinary collaboration, evidence-based practice, and primary care and public health services integration in Brazil’s Family Health Strategy. We aimed to identify practices that facilitate service integration and evidence-based practice. [from abstract]

Health navigation is an approach to improving healthcare delivery that helps individuals access the care they need.People called navigators work with each client to identify and reduce any barriers they may face that make it difficult for them to get quality, timely care. Services are tailored to each individual and may include appointment scheduling, transportation, accompaniment, referrals, health education, and counselling. [from introduction]

Pharmacist participation in ward rounds is of increasing interest for better pharmaceutical care, yet most pharmacists do not engage in this activity. The objective was to obtain public sector pharmacists’ views and perceptions on their involvement in ward rounds. [from abstract]

What does the population health approach in action look like in the health care context? This study looks at applying a population health approach in a health care setting. The study articulates the merits of applying a population health approach and brings to light associated barriers and opportunities. It also features patient- and program-level perspectives and population health insights from senior health care leaders at The Ottawa Hospital who were instrumental in establishing OICH.[from introduction]

[Accountable Care Organ] ACOs are promising vehicles for aligning physician and hospital interests in improving quality and reducing cost. However, successful implementation and realization of the ACO mission requires that attention be paid to supporting capacity building within the ACOs, development of a culture of learning and improvement, as well as rigorous monitoring and evaluation. [from executive summary]

This guidebook is intended to complement the many excellent health literacy resources that already exist and are emerging every day, and to help organizations of any size use them to become health literate health care organizations. Health literate health care organizations “make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. [from introductions]

Local health planners are in a prime position to devise feasible context-specific activities to overcome
constraints and increase met need for family planning to accelerate progress towards MDG 5. [from abstract]

The purpose of this program guide is to assist readers in thinking through a successful and efficient plan for [Family Planning and Antiretroviral Therapy] service integration, but the principles apply for integrating core and additional services, whatever they may be.[adapted from background]

To achieve universal health coverage, health systems will have to reach into every community, including the poorest and hardest to access. Since Alma-Ata, inconsistent support of community health workers (CHWs) and failure to integrate them into the health system have impeded full realization of their potential contribution in the context of primary health care.

This paper examines three groups of innovative ideas have been institutionalized in African countries to improve maternal health: policy, institutional and experimental innovations. [adapted from abstract]

The social quality approach is a community-based approach for encouraging service recipients to get involved in the availability, use, and quality of health services. This report, based on Santenet2 project data, correlation analysis, and qualitative data collection, illustrates the implementation process, successes and essential components to the successful implementation of the social quality approach. [from executive summary]

This paper examines the effect of the integrated model for HIV treatment with other primary care services on the organization of clinic services, and explores service providers’ perceptions of the integrated model. [adapted from abstract]

This study measured the impact of integration of HIV care into primary care during a randomized controlled trial of task shifting and decentralization of HIV care in South Africa. [adapted from abstract]

This study documents different factors influencing models of integration within clinics of HIV care into nurse-led primary care services to increase access to treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS in high HIV burden countries. [adapted from abstract]

This study found that intersectoral collaboration would ensure effiecient use of current health care workforce to improve the provision of health services and information to adolescents. [adapted from author]

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide HIV care and
treatment programme managers and clinicians with practical
steps on how to integrate palliative care into adult and
paediatric HIV services. [from author]

This qualitative study was conducted among frontline health workers to explore provider experiences with integration in order to ascertain their significance to the performance of integrated health facilities. [from abstract]

Governments and the global health community are increasingly paying attention to maximizing and measuring impact through service delivery integration efforts in family planning/HIV service integration. This technical brief assesses the evidence on the role of health workers in the integration of family planning and HIV services and discusses key health worker considerations when integrating these services. [from publisher]

This report describes the development of a guideline and training program (PALM PLUS) designed to integrate HIV/AIDS care with other primary care in Malawi. [from abstract]

This article reviews the benefits of knowledge of HIV serostatus and evidence from multiple countries surrounding the successes and pitfalls of provider-initiated testing in health care and home-based settings.

Task shifting and the integration of HIV care into primary care services have been identified as possible strategies for improving access to antiretroviral treatment. This paper describes the development and content of an intervention involving these two strategies. [from abstract]