A metasummary of 33 qualitative studies on continuity of care finds patients experience continuity as security and confidence rather than as seamlessness.
Patients' desire for connectedness, the researchers find, extends beyond health care encounters to include connectedness between health care and the rest of the patient's life, which translates to a sense of security and confidence more than of seamlessness.
The authors conclude, though most continuity-related reforms emphasize information and service integration, the findings of this analysis underline the need to support and protect relational continuity with trusted and trustworthy clinicians who act as partners in care.
Experienced Continuity of Care When Patients See Multiple Clinicians: A Qualitative Metasummary By Jeannie L. Haggerty, PhD, et alMcGill University, Montréal, Québec