International Journal of Health Policy and Management 2017;6(1):1-3
- The authors discuss the practicalities of care integration, both within the healthcare sector and between the health and social care sectors, including the mechanisms by which it is expected to achieve its aim and the evidence base around the outcomes delivered.
- The authors conclude:
- Key elements of the process, such as the degree of financial integration and the alignment of vision and cultures across professional boundaries, will influence the capacity of integrated care to deliver its potential. ... the evidence base is not definitive and there are many gaps in knowledge about the degree to which most of the expected benefits from integrated care will materialise: “integrated organizational structures and processes may fail to produce integrated patient care.”