How to assess and prepare health systems in low- and middle-income countries for integration of services—a systematic review

Despite growing support for integration of frontline services, a lack of information about the pre-conditions necessary to integrate such services hampers the ability of policy makers and implementers to assess how feasible or worthwhile integration may be, especially in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). This article adopted a modified systematic review with aspects of realist review, including quantitative and qualitative studies that incorporated assessment of health system preparedness for capacity to implement integrated services. 

Good collaborative practice: reforming capacity building governance of international health research partnerships

In  line with the policy objetives of the United Nations sustainable Development Goals, this commentary seeks to examine the extent which provisions of international health research guidance promote capacity building and equitable partnerships in global health research. Theri evaluation finds that governance of collaborative research partnership, in resource- constrained settigns is limited but has improved with the implementation guidance of the International Ethical Guidelines for Health- related Research Involving Humans by The Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS 2016)

Governing Collaborative Healthcare Improvement: Lessons From an Atlantic Canadian Case

The Atlantic Healthcare Collaboration for Innovation and Improvement in Chronic Disease (AHC) Quality Improvement Collaborative (QIC) in Eastern Canada provided an approach to spur system-level reform across multiple health systems for patients and families living with chronic disease. Developed and led by senior executives with a unique governance approach and involving clinical front-line teams, the AHC serves as a practical example of leadership creating and driving momentum for achieving success in collaborative health system improvements 

The Joint Action on Health Workforce Planning and Forecasting: Results of a European programme to improve health workforce policie

Health workforce (HWF) planning and forecasting is faced with a number of challenges, most notably a lack of consistent terminology, a lack of data, limited model, demand based, and future-based planning and limited inter-country collaboration. The Joint Action on Health Workforce Planning and Forecsting (JAHWF, 2013-2016) aimed to move foward on the HWF planning process and support countries in tackling the key challenges facing the HWF and HWF planning. This paper synthesizes and discusses the results of the JAHWF. Ti is shown that the JAHWFhas provided importatn setps towards improved HWF planning and forecasting across Europe. 

Defining indicators for assessing integrated care (2012-2014): Lessons learned on methodology and the evolution in assessment approach

Integrated care interventions are extremely complex as they tend to invilve multiple actors and different care levels. When evaluating such programmes indicators provide several benefits in comparison with other approaches. The Agència de Qualitat Avaluació Sanitàries de Catalunya, through a new collaborative approach, has been working on the development of indicators specially aimed at assesing integrated care. The aim of this study was to present the methodology developed and review the evolution of the prioritized indicators in three different projects aimed at assessing chronic integrated care initiatives. 

Achieving integration for stronger health systems: lessons from integrating sexual & reproductive health and HIV services

A complete volume about building integrated health systems: lessons from HIV, sexual and reproductive health integration from "Health Policy and Planning" magazine, issue supplement 4, 1 November 2017.

Editorial

Integrated care: learning between high-income, and low- and middle-income country health systems

Integration is a challenging concept to define, in part because of its multiple dimensions and varied scope: from integrated clinical care for individual patients to broader systems integration- or linkage-involving wide range of interconnected services. This commentary compares integrated care in high-and lower- income countries. Although contexts may differ significantly between these settings, there are many common features of how integration has been understood and common challenges in its implementation

Better value primary care is needed now more than ever

Healthcare systems globally are fancing multiple challenges, with ageing populations, increasing chronic disease, rising multiborbidity, and innovative treatments and technologies all leading to rising costs. With finite resources, and an increasing recognition of the potential harms to patients of overdiagnosis and overtreatment, it is essential that resources are used optimally. This article explore how the value based healthcare framework can help decisions about how to allocate resources, and the importance of good evidence not only for patient treatment but the organisation of health services. 

Urban-rural difference in satisfaction with primary healthcare services in Ghana

Understanding regional variation in patient satisfaction about healthcare systems (PHCs) on the quality of services provided is instrumental to improving quality and developing a patient-centered healthcare system by making it  more responsive especially to the cultural aspects of health demands of a population. Reaching to the innovative National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Ghana, surpassing several reforms in healthcare financing has been a milestone. However little research has been conducted concerning patient satisfaction in resource-poor settings like in Ghana. This study was therefore dedicated to examining the variation in satisfaction across rural and urban women in Ghana. 

Derivation and validation of the Personal Support Algorithm: an evidence-based framework to inform allocation of personal support services in home and community care

Personal support services enable many individuals to stay in their homes, but there are no standard ways to classify need for functional support in home and community care settings. The goal of this proyect was to develop and evidence-based clinical tool to inform service planning while allowing for flexibility in care coordinator judgment in response to patient and family circumstances.