Integrated care bridges the care gap

Integrated care bridges the care gap

In 2011 the US National Health Expenditure is estimated to amount to $ 9,216 per capita: that is 17.0% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) w1x. The authors Heffler c.s. give the warning that for 2001 health spending grew faster than expected. In that year and in 2002 the real health spending growth, that is growth without inflation, is expected to average 6.6% per year. Nevertheless they used as a ...

Integrated Care: A Pill for All Ills?

There is an increasing policy emphasis on the integration of care, both within the healthcare sector and also between the health and social care sectors, with the simple aim of ensuring that individuals get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. However, implementing this simple aim is rather more complex. In this editorial, we seek to make sense of this complexity and ask: what...

Building bridges to integrate care

The widespread epidemiological shift from acute to chronic illnesses in the population has been accompanied by an increasing recognition of the need to simultaneously address the interacting physical, mental health and social needs of patients. A fragmented health care system built around single diseases and institutions cannot effectively address these complex needs. Health system reform is ne...

The primary care stroke gap.

Integrated care

The WHO European Office for Integrated Health Care Services in Barcelona is an integral part of the World Health Organizations' Regional Office for Europe. The main purpose of the Barcelona office is within the integration of services to encourage and facilitate changes in health care services in order to promote health and improve management and patient satisfaction by working for quality, acc...