Managing patients with multiple care needs is a significant challenge for health care workers. The research article "How do health care workers manage a patient with multiple care needs from both health and social care services? – A vignette study" provides valuable insights that can help practitioners improve their skills and the care they provide.
Key Findings
The study involved general practitioners (GPs) and registered nurses (RNs) from Finnish health centers, using a vignette of a patient with complex needs. Here are some critical takeaways:
- Role Assignment: Only 27% of respondents indicated a clear assignment of care responsibility to a physician-nurse working pair, while 53% reported no single person or team in charge of the care process.
- Varied Care Processes: The professionals' contributions to the care processes reflected the staff available at their organization. Some health centers only had GPs and RNs, while others had a more extensive range of professionals.
- Collaboration with Social Services: Collaboration with social services was relatively uncommon and occasional. Few care processes included referrals to social services.
- Patient Involvement: Only 55.6% of respondents proposed active patient involvement in developing a treatment plan, and just 26.7% proposed a written treatment plan.
Improving Care Management
Based on these findings, practitioners can enhance their care management skills by focusing on three main areas:
- Develop Clear Treatment Plans: A written treatment plan should be established for patients with multiple care needs to ensure all involved parties understand the care process.
- Strengthen Collaboration: Interaction between health and social care services should be improved to provide comprehensive care that addresses all aspects of a patient's needs.
- Assign a Contact Person: To avoid gaps in care, a specific contact person should be designated to oversee the patient's care process.
Encouraging Further Research
Practitioners are encouraged to delve deeper into the study to understand better the nuances of managing patients with multiple care needs. The full research article offers more detailed insights and can be accessed here.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: How do health care workers manage a patient with multiple care needs from both health and social care services? – A vignette study.
