What are the priorities for the future development of integrated care? A scoping review

Abstract

Purpose“Integrated care” (IC) is an approach to health and social care delivery that aims to prevent problems arising from fragmented care systems. The collective content of the IC literature, whilst valuable, has become extensive and wide-ranging to such a degree that knowing what is most important in IC is a challenge. This study aims to address this issue.Design/methodology/approachA scoping review was conducted using Arksey and O'Malley's framework to determine IC priority areas.FindingsTwenty-one papers relevant to the research question were identified. These included studies from many geographical regions, encompassing several study designs and a range of populations and sample sizes. The findings identified four priority areas that should be considered when designing and implementing IC models: (1) communication, (2) coordination, collaboration and cooperation (CCC), (3) responsibility and accountability and (4) a population approach. Multiple elements were identified within these priorities, all of which are important to ensuring successful and sustained integration of care. These included education, efficiency, patient centredness, safety, trust and time.Originality/valueThe study's findings bring clarity and definition to what has become an increasingly extensive and wide-ranging body of work on the topic of IC. Future research should evaluate the implementation of these priorities in care settings.