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Implementation and impact of integrated health and social care services: an umbrella review

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Abstract

Governments in many European countries have been working towards integrating health and social care services to eliminate the fragmentation that leads to poor care coordination for patients. We conducted a systematic review to identify and synthesize knowledge about the integration of health and social care services in Europe. We identified 490 records, in 14 systematic reviews that reported on 1148 primary studies and assessed outcomes of integration of health care and social care. We categorized records according to three purposes: health outcomes, service quality and integration procedures outcomes. Health outcomes include improved clinical outcomes, enhanced quality of life, and positive effects on quality of care. Service quality improvements encompass better access to services, reduced waiting times, and increased patient satisfaction. Integration procedure outcomes involve cost reduction, enhanced collaboration, and improved staff perceptions; however, some findings rely on limited evidence. This umbrella review provides a quality-appraised overview of existing systematic reviews.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga EPE, Aveiro, Portugal

    Ricardo Correia de Matos

  2. Ordem dos Enfermeiros, Secção Regional do Centro (SRCOE), Coimbra, Portugal

    Ricardo Correia de Matos

  3. ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

    Ricardo Correia de Matos & Generosa do Nascimento

  4. ENSP - Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Adalberto Campos Fernandes

  5. Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra, Escola Superior de Tecnologia da Saúde de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    Cristiano Matos

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  1. Ricardo Correia de Matos
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Correspondence to Ricardo Correia de Matos.

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41271_2023_465_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Supplementary file1 (PDF 208 KB) Supplementary Material: The Supplementary Material includes Table S1: Search strategies; Table S2: Studies included in the umbrella review; Table S3: Critical appraisal of the included systematic reviews.

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de Matos, R.C., do Nascimento, G., Fernandes, A.C. et al. Implementation and impact of integrated health and social care services: an umbrella review. J Public Health Pol 45, 14–29 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41271-023-00465-y

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