Abstract:
Shared or integrated care is a priority in health care systems around the world. The drivers for this are a mix of aging population, increased rates of chronic conditions and limited resources. There is some evidence that care delivery interventions that share health care information and planning, facilitate and support multi-organizational involvement, and involve the patient and promote self- management skills, can lead to improved patient health outcomes, better access to care and greater care quality. New Zealand’s National Health IT Board (NHITB) 2010 eHealth Vision set the scene for a vision of connected healthcare and the National Shared Care Planning Programme (NSCPP) was one implementation framework developed to accomplish it. The NSCPP is underpinned by a number of assumptions: a) that having key information available at the point of care for a patient makes care planning and decisions more informed; b) enabling access to the Shared Care Plan be professionally, organisationally and geographically agnostic creates a collaborative and integrated care environment that focuses on the patient need; and c) including the patient in the circle of care, facilitates pro-active engagement and contributes to improved self-management. The pilot of the NSCPP was a phased implementation of technology enabled programme for people with long term conditions. The pilot ran from February 2011 to December 2012. It was based in the wider Auckland region (covering 5000 square kilometres) and involved more than 50 different participating groups (primary care, community pharmacy, hospital specialist services, allied health services) from three different District Health Boards. Notwithstanding the role of technology itself, this case study presents the findings that underpin the six key learnings identified for a successful implementation of a shared care initiative.