Integrated Health and Social Home Care Services in Catalonia: Professionals’ Perception of its Implementation, Barriers, and Facilitators

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the implementation of integrated social and health home care services (HCS) offered by the Government of Catalonia, and to identify the main barriers and facilitators of integrated HCS. Methods: Analysis of the degree of implementation of integrated social and health HCS perceived by social care services (SCS) and primary health care centers (PHCs) between December 2020 and June 2021 in two phases. First, the perception of integration by social workers within SCS and PHCs was assessed using a screening questionnaire. Then, SCS in counties with the highest integration scores received a customized questionnaire for an in-depth assessment. Results: A total of 105 (100%) SCS and 94 (25%) PHCs answered the screening questionnaire, and 48 (45.7%) SCS received a customized questionnaire. The most frequent barrier identified was the lack of shared protocols, with the most frequent facilitator being the recognition of the importance of integrated HCS. Conclusions: Our study showed that the degree of implementation of integrated health and social HCS offered by the Government of Catalonia was perceived as low. The identified barriers and facilitators can be used to facilitate such implementation. Further studies should include professionals other than social workers in PHC assessments.