Out-of-hours primary care (OOH-PC) has emerged as a promising solution to improve efficiency, accessibility, and quality of care and to reduce the strain on emergency departments. As this modality gains traction in diverse healthcare settings, it is increasingly important to fully assess its societal value-for-money and conduct thorough process evaluations. However, current economic evaluations mostly emphasise direct- and short-term effect measures, thus lacking a broader societal perspective.

This study offers a comprehensive overview of current effect measures in OOH-PC evaluations and proposes additional measures from the evaluation of integrated care programmes.

First, we systematically identified the effect measures from published cost-effectiveness studies and classified them as process, outcome, and resource use measures. Second, we elaborate on the incorporation of ‘productivity gains’, ‘health promotion and early intervention’, and ‘continuity of care’ as additional effects into economic evaluations of OOH-PC. Seeking care affects personal and employee time, potentially resulting in decreased productivity. Challenges in taking time off work and limited access to convenient care are often cited as barriers to accessing primary care. As such, OOH-PC can potentially reduce opportunity costs for patients. Furthermore, improving access to healthcare is important in determining whether people receive promotional and preventive services. Health promotion involves empowering people to take control of their health and its determinants. Given the unscheduled nature and the fragmented or rotational care in OOH-PC, the degree to which interventions and modalities provide continuity should be monitored, assessed, and included in economic evaluations. Continuity of care in primary care improves patient satisfaction, promotes adherence to medical advice, reduces reliance on hospitals, and reduces mortality.

Although it is essential to also address local settings and needs, the integration of broader scope measures into OOH-PC economic evaluations improves the comprehensive evaluation that aligns with welfare gains.

Worldwide, the division between Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Adult Mental Health Services (AMHS) has frequently resulted in fragmented care with an unprepared, non-gradual transition. To improve continuity of care and other service transition experiences, service user input is essential. However, such previous qualitative studies are from a decade ago or focused on one mental disorder or country. The aim of the present study was to learn from service users’ transition experiences and suggested improvements.

Semi-structured interviews were held with young people aged 18–24 and/or parents/caregivers in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands and Croatia. Inclusion was based on the experience of specialist mental health care before and after turning 18. Thematic analysis of transcribed and translated interview transcripts was performed using ATLAS.ti 9.

Main themes of service user experiences included abrupt changes in responsibilities, various barriers and a lack of preparation, communication and ongoing care. Young people expressed a great need for continuity of care. Their suggestions to improve transitional care included early and adequate preparation, joint working, improved communication from and between services, overlapping services, staying at CAMHS for longer and designated youth mental health teams.

Young people who experienced care before and after turning 18 suggested either altering the age limits of services or ensuring early preparation and communication regarding the transition and finding AHMS. This communication should include general changes when turning 18. Further considerations include increasing collaboration and overlap between CAMHS and AMHS.

Prenatal growth affects short- and long-term morbidity, mortality and growth, yet communication between prenatal and postnatal healthcare teams is often minimal. This paper aims to develop an integrated, interdisciplinary framework for foetal/infant growth assessment, contributing to the continuity of care across the first 1000 d of life.

A multidisciplinary think-tank met regularly over many months to share and debate their practice and research experience related to foetal/infant growth assessment. Participants’ personal practice and knowledge were verified against and supplemented by published research.

Online and in-person brainstorming sessions of growth assessment practices that are feasible and valuable in resource-limited, low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings.

A group of obstetricians, paediatricians, dietitians/nutritionists and a statistician.

Numerous measurements, indices and indicators were identified for growth assessment in the first 1000 d. Relationships between foetal, neonatal and infant measurements were elucidated and integrated into an interdisciplinary framework. Practices relevant to LMIC were then highlighted: antenatal Doppler screening, comprehensive and accurate birth anthropometry (including proportionality of weight, length and head circumference), placenta weighing and incorporation of length-for-age, weight-for-length and mid-upper arm circumference in routine growth monitoring. The need for appropriate, standardised clinical records and corresponding policies to guide clinical practice and facilitate interdisciplinary communication over time became apparent.

Clearer communication between prenatal, perinatal and postnatal health care providers, within the framework of a common understanding of growth assessment and a supportive policy environment, is a prerequisite to continuity of care and optimal health and development outcomes.

Creating a stable and long-term relationship called ‘longitudinality’ between the population and general practitioners is crucial for the family physician program. The constant change of family physicians (FPs) can deteriorate longitudinality. This study aims to reveal what factors people usually consider when choosing a new FP or changing their current FP.

A qualitative study with a thematic analysis approach was carried out in Ilam province, Iran, in 2019. Purposeful sampling with a maximum variation strategy was followed to select the key informants. We did 34 interviews with following groups: patients (rural residents); FPs; and experts from Iran Health Insurance Organization, Ilam University of Medical Sciences, and Health Network Development Center. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis to identify and contextualize the preferences of people in choosing a FP in rural areas. All the processes related to data coding and emerging themes were carried out using MAXQDA 2012 software.

The content of the interviews was categorized into 2 main themes, 6 sub-themes, and 39 codes. The first theme was ‘family physician characteristics’ including four sub-themes: general behaviors, social and physical characteristics, professional expertise, and pharmaceutical prescriptions. The second theme was ‘health center’ consisting of two sub-themes including location and physical features and properties of the health center.

Some of the factors extracted from the interviews may have a different effect on the choice of people with different demographics. For instance, patients may have different ideas about the age, gender, years of medical practice, and finally, language and origin of the birthplace of FPs. Quantitative studies are needed to rank the factors identified in this study according to their significance for choosing FP and reveal patients’ preferences for each factor.

The systematic monitoring and evaluation of innovative healthcare programs are essential to develop long-term sustainable solutions that respond to the health needs in the population (Porter & Teisberg, 2006). One such innovative healthcare program is the psychiatric High and Intensive Care (HIC) model, gradually implemented in 9 Belgian psychiatric hospitals since 2019. The HIC-model focuses on intensive patient-oriented care, in an attempt to exclude coercive measures and promote collaborative efforts between staff, patients, and relatives (Voskes et al., 2021).

We discuss the following research questions: (1) which clinical profiles of patients are treated in HIC units in Belgium?; (2) Is the implementation of HIC units associated with decrease of coercive measures?; (3) What are self-reported aspects of HIC treatment approaches as experienced by patients, family and/or close friends, and professional staff (both working on the HIC units as well as in external healthcare facilities), and (4) what is the role of HIC units in the organization of mental healthcare on the societal level (e.g. The function of HIC in regional psychiatric networks or the health economic aspects)?

In order to develop a sustainable policy on HIC in Belgium, we use a scientist-practitioner perspective including a multimethod approach.

The preliminary results of the first six months of data collection will be presented.

The preliminary conclusions of the first six months of data collection will be presented.

No significant relationships.

Prompt follow-up at emergency department discharge is a key indicator of healthcare quality and patient recovery. To improve services, better knowledge of predictors for out-patient physician follow-up within 30 days after discharge is needed.

We investigated clinical and sociodemographic characteristics and service use to predict patients with mental disorders with or without physician follow-up after emergency department use.

This study used data extracted from clinical administrative databases for 9514 patients who attended an emergency department in Quebec (Canada) in 2014–2015 (index visit) for mental health reasons. Patient clinical and sociodemographic characteristics from 2012–2013 to 2014–2015, and service use 12 months before the index visit, were investigated as predictors for patients with or without prompt follow-up, using hierarchical logistic regression.

Two-thirds of patients did not receive prompt physician follow-up. Patients with level 1–2 illness acuity at emergency department triage (needing immediate or urgent care); those with adjustment or bipolar disorders, but without alcohol-related disorders (clinical characteristics); and patients with higher continuity of physician care, more psychosocial interventions in community healthcare centres and prior hospital admission (service use characteristics) were more likely to receive prompt out-patient follow-up.

Access to medical care was poor, considering the high needs of this population. The role of the emergency department as a gateway for accessing out-patient care may be strengthened by strategies like screening, brief intervention including motivational treatments, brief case management offered by emergency department staff, timely referral to services and better post-discharge planning. Collaborative care for patients attending emergency departments should also be improved.

To evaluate nursing staff’ perception of hospital readiness for continuity of essential health care services and surge capacity in line with COVID-19.

A total of 300 nurses were recruited from one hospital in Saudi Arabia. They completed self-administered, online questionnaires. The questionnaire assessed participants’ socio-demographic data and their perceptions regarding hospital readiness for continuity of essential health care services and surge capacity in line with COVID-19.

The findings revealed that nursing staff had a moderate mean score regarding hospital readiness for continuity of health care services (3.89 ± 0.61) and an average mean value regarding surge capacity of 3.83 ± 0.63. Also, the value of R2 of surge capacity in healthcare can predict 82.9% of the variance in hospital readiness for continuity of health care services in terms of surge capacity.

Hospital administrators could propose hospital regulations and protocols for the management of confirmed and suspected COVID-19 patients in addition to designing a continuing education program for health professionals at all levels related to prevention, control, and management of COVID-19 suspected and confirmed patients.

The Netherlands has few financial barriers to access mental healthcare. However, in 2012, a sharp rise in co-payments was introduced.

We tested whether these increased co-payments coincided with less guideline-recommended continuous out-patient psychiatric care and more crisis interventions for patients with bipolar disorder.

A retrospective longitudinal cohort study on a health insurance registry was performed to examine trends, and deviations from these trends, in the healthcare received by patients with bipolar disorder. Deviations of trends were tested by time-series analyses (autoregressive integrated moving average). Subsequently, the relationship between significant deviations of trends and rise in co-payments was examined. Outcome measures were the level of standard out-patient care (out-patient psychiatric care and/or medication), crisis psychiatric care and somatic care.

The cohort comprised 3210 patients. During follow-up, the use of psychiatric care decreased and somatic care increased. The high rise in co-payments from 2012 onward coincided with decreases in standard out-patient care and increases in medication-only treatment, crisis psychiatric care and somatic care. Crisis intervention was highest when patients received only bipolar disorder medication. Patients receiving continuous standard out-patient care (62%) had less crisis intervention compared with the other patients.

Our data suggest that the rise of co-payments decreased guideline-recommended continuous out-patient psychiatric care among patients with bipolar disorder, and increased crisis psychiatric care.

There is global interest in the reconfiguration of community mental health services, including primary care, to improve clinical and cost effectiveness.

This study seeks to describe patterns of service use, continuity of care, health risks, physical healthcare monitoring and the balance between primary and secondary mental healthcare for people with severe mental illness in receipt of secondary mental healthcare in the UK.

We conducted an epidemiological medical records review in three UK sites. We identified 297 cases randomly selected from the three participating mental health services. Data were manually extracted from electronic patient medical records from both secondary and primary care, for a 2-year period (2012–2014). Continuous data were summarised by mean and s.d. or median and interquartile range (IQR). Categorical data were summarised as percentages.

The majority of care was from secondary care practitioners: of the 18 210 direct contacts recorded, 76% were from secondary care (median, 36.5; IQR, 14–68) and 24% were from primary care (median, 10; IQR, 5–20). There was evidence of poor longitudinal continuity: in primary care, 31% of people had poor longitudinal continuity (Modified Modified Continuity Index ≤0.5), and 43% had a single named care coordinator in secondary care services over the 2 years.

The study indicates scope for improvement in supporting mental health service delivery in primary care. Greater knowledge of how care is organised presents an opportunity to ensure some rebalancing of the care that all people with severe mental illness receive, when they need it. A future publication will examine differences between the three sites that participated in this study.

Research on the impact of the continuity of care (COC) on health outcomes in patients with mental illness is limited. This observational study examined whether the longitudinal COC is associated with a decreased likelihood of death among patients with mental disorders in the French general population.

Data were derived from the French National Health Insurance (NHI) reimbursement database. Patients with any mental disorder who visited a psychiatrist at least twice within 6 months were included. The primary endpoint was death by all causes. We measured longitudinal COC with a psychiatrist twice a year between 2007 and 2010, using the COC index developed by Bice and Boxerman. The COC index was analysed as a time-dependent variable in a survival analysis after adjustments for age, gender and stratifying on comorbidities and social status.

Among 14,515 patients visiting a psychiatrist at least twice in 6 months and tracked over 3 years, likelihood of death was significantly lower in patients with higher continuity of care (hazard ratio for an increase in 0.1 of continuity, adjusted for age, sex, and stratified on comorbidities and social status: 0.83 [0.83–0.83]), particularly in those with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia.

Improving longitudinal continuity of care in mental health care may contribute to substantially decrease mortality.

To identify the reasons why patients with minor complaints choose emergency departments (EDs) as a first contact of care and whether dissatisfaction with primary care services influences their decisions.

In this study, a self-completed survey called EUROPEP was given to 535 outpatients who were admitted to the XXXXX Hospital in Bursa and examined in the green zone in July 2015. Patients were asked about their complaints and why they preferred EDs as a first contact of care.

EDs were the first contact of care in 87.8% of cases. In all, 9% of patients registered to family physicians who were working outside the city of Bursa. There was no relationship between patient satisfaction and the number of previous visits to EDs in last 12 months (P=0.09). The main reasons for admitting to the emergency services were feeling excessive pain (20.4%), perception of urgency (14.5%) and that the family doctor services were closed outside working hours (13.2%). The mean patient satisfaction with family practice offices was calculated to be 68.1%.

The frequency of admission to EDs as a first contact of care was extremely high in the absence of a referral system. Patients who did not have family doctors in the settlement where they live put an extra burden on the EDs. Overall, patient satisfaction with their GPs did not influence the number of visits to EDs but accessibility remains a big challenge.

Patients with cardiovascular diseases are common in the emergency department (ED), and continuity of care following that visit is needed to ensure that they receive evidence-based diagnostic tests and therapy. We examined the frequency of follow-up care after discharge from an ED with a new diagnosis of one of three cardiovascular diseases.

We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with a new diagnosis of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, or hypertension, who were discharged from 157 non-pediatric EDs in Ontario, Canada, between April 2007 and March 2014. We determined the frequency of follow-up care with a family physician, cardiologist, or internist within seven and 30 days, and assessed the association of patient, emergency physician, and family physician characteristics with obtaining follow-up care using cause-specific hazard modeling.

There were 41,485 qualifying ED visits. Just under half (47.0%) had follow-up care within seven days, with 78.7% seen by 30 days. Patients with serious comorbidities (renal failure, dementia, COPD, stroke, coronary artery disease, and cancer) had a lower adjusted hazard of obtaining 7-day follow-up care (HRs 0.77-0.95) and 30-day follow-up care (HR 0.76-0.95). The only emergency physician characteristic associated with follow-up care was 5-year emergency medicine specialty training (HR 1.11). Compared to those whose family physician was remunerated via a primarily fee-for-service model, patients were less likely to obtain 7-day follow-up care if their family physician was remunerated via three types of capitation models (HR 0.72, 0.81, 0.85) or via traditional fee-for-service (HR 0.91). Findings were similar for 30-day follow-up care.

Only half of patients discharged from an ED with a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and hypertension were seen within a week of being discharged. Patients with significant comorbidities were less likely to obtain follow-up care, as were those with a family physician who was remunerated via primarily capitation methods.

Data are progressively accumulating regarding the transition to adult services.

A comprehensive search using the MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases up until 16 March 2015 was conducted in order to summarize recent evidence on the transition from child to adult mental health services for patients with mental disorders. Authors extracted data and assessed study quality independently.

The main findings of the 33 included studies were discussed taking into consideration four aspects: experiences of patients, carers, and clinicians, accounts of transition, current services models and protocols, and outcomes of transition. Of the 33 studies, 17 focused on a specific mental disorder: seven on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, four on intellectual disability, three on eating disorders, two on serious emotional disorders and one on autism spectrum disorder. An attempt was also made to integrate the studies’ conclusions in order to improve transitional care.

The review reveals an evident need for longitudinal, controlled, health services research to identify and evaluate optimal service models with systematic and seamless transition protocols for patients with mental disorders requiring continuity of care into adult mental services.

Many patients are seen in the emergency department (ED) for hypertension, and the numbers will likely increase in the future. Given limited evidence to guide the management of such patients, the practice of one’s peers provides a de facto standard.

A survey was distributed to emergency physicians during academic rounds at three community and four tertiary EDs. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of participants who had a blood pressure (BP) threshold at which they would offer a new antihypertensive prescription to patients they were sending home from the ED. Secondary outcomes included patient- and provider-level factors associated with initiating an antihypertensive based on clinical vignettes of a 69-year-old man with two levels of hypertension (160/100 vs 200/110 mm Hg), as well as the recommended number of days after which to follow up with a primary care provider following ED discharge.

All 81 surveys were completed (100%). Half (51.9%; 95% CI 40.5-63.1) of participants indicated that they had a systolic BP threshold for initiating an antihypertensive, and 55.6% (95% CI 44.1-66.6) had a diastolic threshold: mean systolic threshold was 199 mm Hg (SD 19) while diastolic was 111 mm Hg (SD 8). A higher BP (OR 12.9; 95% CI 7.5-22.2) and more patient comorbidities (OR 3.0; 95% CI 2.1-4.3) were associated with offering an antihypertensive prescription, while physician years of practice, certification type, and hospital type were not. Participants recommended follow-up care within a median 7.0 and 3.0 days for the patient with lower and higher BP levels, respectively.

Half of surveyed emergency physicians report having a BP threshold to start an antihypertensive; BP levels and number of patient comorbidities were associated with a modification of the decision, while physician characteristics were not. Most physicians recommended follow-up care within seven days of ED discharge.

Caregiving partners constitute a unique group, who provide both physical and emotional care for patients. There has been extensive research conducted on caregivers during either the caregiving or bereavement phase; however, these phases are often treated as separate entities rather than as part of a continuum.

In this paper, utilizing relevant literature and clinical observations, we map the emotional journey and lived experience of caregivers moving from disease progression, to the end of life, to the dying process itself, and then through life after the death of a partner. Along this journey, we identify the links between pre-death caregiving and bereavement.

Our illustration raises awareness regarding the unmet needs experienced by caregiving partners across the continuum and provides an alternative framework through which clinicians can view this course.

of Results We bolster arguments for improved palliative care services and early interventions with distressed caregiving partners by emphasizing continuity of care both before and after a patient's death.