title: Improving coordination through information continuity: a framework for translational research.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is good evidence that coordination can have beneficial impacts on patient care and outcomes but the mechanisms by which coordination is to be achieved are poorly understood and rarely identified in relevant policies. One approach suggests that continuity of information is a key element but research is yet to provide guidance on how to optimise coordination through improving continuity in healthcare settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this paper we report on the development of a conceptual framework of information continuity in care coordination. We drew on evidence from systematic reviews of coordination and empirical studies on information use in integrated care models to develop the framework. It identifies the architecture, processes and scope of practices that evidence suggests is required to support information continuity in a population based approach to care coordination. The framework offers value to policy makers and practitioners as a map that identifies the multi-level elements of an integrated system capable of driving better coordination. Testing of the framework in different settings could aid our understanding of information continuity as a mechanism for linking coordination strategies that operate at different levels of the health system and enable synthesis of findings for informing policy and practice.
authors.affiliation: Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, The Australian National University, Cnr Mills & Eggleston Rds, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Karen.Gardner@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gardner
authors.affiliation: Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, The Australian National University, Cnr Mills & Eggleston Rds, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Michelle.Banfield@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banfield
authors.affiliation: Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, The Australian National University, Cnr Mills & Eggleston Rds, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Ian.S.McRae@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: McRae
authors.affiliation: Menzies Centre for Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. James.Gillespie@syd.edu.au.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gillespie
authors.affiliation: Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, The Australian National University, Cnr Mills & Eggleston Rds, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. Laurann.Yen@anu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Laurann
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yen
mesh_terms: D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D057170:Translational Research, Biomedical / Q000458:organization & administration*