Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;" lang="EN-GB"><strong>Introduction: </strong>Primary care has a central role in integrating care within a health system. However, conceptual ambiguity regarding integrated care hampers...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Ubiquity Press
2013-03-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Integrated Care |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.ijic.org/articles/886 |
| _version_ | 1819060559351382016 |
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| author | Pim P. Valentijn Sanneke M. Schepman Wilfrid Opheij Marc A. Bruijnzeels |
| author_facet | Pim P. Valentijn Sanneke M. Schepman Wilfrid Opheij Marc A. Bruijnzeels |
| author_sort | Pim P. Valentijn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;" lang="EN-GB"><strong>Introduction: </strong>Primary care has a central role in integrating care within a health system. However, conceptual ambiguity regarding integrated care hampers a systematic understanding. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that combines the concepts of primary care and integrated care, in order to understand the complexity of integrated care.<strong></strong> <strong>Methods: </strong>The search method involved a combination of electronic database searches, hand searches of reference lists (snowball method) and contacting researchers in the field. The process of synthesizing the literature was iterative, to relate the concepts of primary care and integrated care. First, we identified the general principles of primary care and integrated care. Second, we connected the dimensions of integrated care and the principles of primary care. Finally, to improve content validity we held several meetings with researchers in the field to develop and refine our conceptual framework. <strong>Results: </strong>The conceptual framework combines the functions of primary care with the dimensions of integrated care. Person-focused and population-based care serve as guiding principles for achieving integration across the care continuum. Integration plays complementary roles on the micro (clinical integration), meso (professional and organisational integration) and macro (system integration) level. Functional and normative integration ensure connectivity between the levels. <strong>Discussion:</strong> The presented conceptual framework is a first step to achieve a better understanding of the inter-relationships among the dimensions of integrated care from a primary care perspective. </span> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:28:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-701cb2f072a6464890c3e3153c38f229 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1568-4156 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T14:28:55Z |
| publishDate | 2013-03-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Integrated Care |
| spelling | doaj.art-701cb2f072a6464890c3e3153c38f2292022-12-21T19:00:32ZengUbiquity PressInternational Journal of Integrated Care1568-41562013-03-0113110.5334/ijic.886990Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary carePim P. ValentijnSanneke M. SchepmanWilfrid OpheijMarc A. Bruijnzeels<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB;" lang="EN-GB"><strong>Introduction: </strong>Primary care has a central role in integrating care within a health system. However, conceptual ambiguity regarding integrated care hampers a systematic understanding. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that combines the concepts of primary care and integrated care, in order to understand the complexity of integrated care.<strong></strong> <strong>Methods: </strong>The search method involved a combination of electronic database searches, hand searches of reference lists (snowball method) and contacting researchers in the field. The process of synthesizing the literature was iterative, to relate the concepts of primary care and integrated care. First, we identified the general principles of primary care and integrated care. Second, we connected the dimensions of integrated care and the principles of primary care. Finally, to improve content validity we held several meetings with researchers in the field to develop and refine our conceptual framework. <strong>Results: </strong>The conceptual framework combines the functions of primary care with the dimensions of integrated care. Person-focused and population-based care serve as guiding principles for achieving integration across the care continuum. Integration plays complementary roles on the micro (clinical integration), meso (professional and organisational integration) and macro (system integration) level. Functional and normative integration ensure connectivity between the levels. <strong>Discussion:</strong> The presented conceptual framework is a first step to achieve a better understanding of the inter-relationships among the dimensions of integrated care from a primary care perspective. </span>http://www.ijic.org/articles/886primary careintegrated carecollaborationfragmentationcare coordination |
| spellingShingle | Pim P. Valentijn Sanneke M. Schepman Wilfrid Opheij Marc A. Bruijnzeels Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care International Journal of Integrated Care primary care integrated care collaboration fragmentation care coordination |
| title | Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care |
| title_full | Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care |
| title_fullStr | Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care |
| title_short | Understanding integrated care: a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care |
| title_sort | understanding integrated care a comprehensive conceptual framework based on the integrative functions of primary care |
| topic | primary care integrated care collaboration fragmentation care coordination |
| url | http://www.ijic.org/articles/886 |
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