Most Wikipedia articles representing the 10 most costly medical conditions in the United States contain many errors when checked against standard peer-reviewed sources. Caution should be used when using Wikipedia to answer questions regarding patient care.
Introduction:The objective of this study was to assess a model for improving healthcare integration for patients with multiple chronic diseases in an integrated healthcare organisation in the Basque Country and to propose areas for improvement.Methods:We organised four nominal groups composed of representatives from different categories of clinicians involved in the development of an integrated healthcare organisation and in the integrated care of patients with multiple diseases, namely, internists, general practitioners, and primary care and hospital nurses.Results:The aspect rated most positively was the concept itself of an integrated care model, which is able to improve communication between levels of care, increase the quality of the care provided and enhance patient safety. Additionally, it was agreed that the role of assigned clinicians is a key element. The problems identified mostly concern its implementation in daily practice.Conclusions:The results of this study made it possible to suggest at least 8 areas of improvement to be implemented. These are related to: nurses’ roles; care and monitoring of stable patients; team work; communication with patients; coordination with social workers and between internists and family doctors; as well as the development of an office of medical services to lead the integration process.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.