[Article] How can continuous and safe care be offered throughout the patient’s journey?
Patient safety is intrinsically linked to the right to timely, efficient, equitable and continuous care, which leads us to a critical reflection on the challenges in offering coordinated and patient-centered care — especially in circumstances in which the fragmentation of the health system and inequality in access still compromise clinical outcomes, the patient experience and the rational use of health resources.
In this context, expanding access means ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their geographic location, socioeconomic status, or clinical situation, can receive safe, evidence-based care. However, access alone is not enough. Care must be provided in an integrated manner, combining primary, specialized, hospital, and rehabilitation care continuously without interruptions that could compromise the patient.
Care fragmentation is among the factors that most contribute to adverse events. Inadequate information transfers, lack of communication between professionals from different services, absence of shared protocols, and failures in care coordination are at the root of many incidents that negatively impact the safety and quality of care.
Therefore, adopting strategies aimed at coordinating care, strengthening health communication, and using integrated information technologies is essential to ensure that the patient experience is safe from start to finish.
Below, we list eight actions to strengthen continuous and safe care throughout the patient journey.
1.Strengthen care coordination
Institutions can promote integration between distinct levels of care (primary, specialized, hospital, and rehabilitation care) with well-defined flows and effective communication between teams. This reduces fragmentation and improves patient transition between services.
2. Implement integrated information systems
The adoption of shared and interoperable electronic medical records allows access to updated clinical information, promoting continuity of care and data-based decision-making, and avoiding errors resulting from loss of information.
3. Adopt evidence-based clinical protocols and guidelines
The standardization of clinical procedures reduces care variability and risks for the patient, providing safety and predictability at all stages of the care process.
4. Continuously train healthcare professionals
To provide quality care, it is essential to invest in the ongoing training of multidisciplinary teams, with a focus on patient safety, group work, effective communication and a fair culture.
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Lucas Garcia
Bruno Stefan