BACKGROUND The development of integrated care is a complex and long term process. Previous research shows that this development process can be characterised by four phases: the initiative and design phase; the experimental and execution phase; the expansion and monitoring phase and the consolidation and transformation phase. In this article these four phases of the Development Model for Integra...

Introduction: Telehealth and telecare projects do not always pay enough attention to the wider information systems architecture required to deliver integrated care. They often focus on technologies to support specific diseases or social care problems which can result in infor­ mation silos that impede integrated care of the patient. While these technologies can deliver discrete benefits, they c...

Buerger's disease, also known as thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), is a segmental inflammatory disease affecting small- and medium-sized vessels, which is strongly associated with tobacco use. Although the etiology is still unknown, recent studies suggest an immunopathogenesis. Diagnosis is based on clinical and angiomorphologic criteria, including age, history of smoking, clinical presentation...