Community Hospitals in Selected High Income Countries: A Scoping Review of Approaches and Models.
BACKGROUND
There is no single definition of a community hospital in the UK, despite its long history. We sought to understand the nature and scope of service provision in community hospitals, within the UK and other high-income countries.


METHODS
We undertook a scoping review of literature on community hospitals published from 2005 to 2014. Data were extracted on features of the hospital model and the services provided, with results presented as a narrative synthesis.


RESULTS
75 studies were included from ten countries. Community hospitals provide a wide range of services, with wide diversity of provision appearing to reflect local needs. Community hospitals are staffed by a mixture of general practitioners (GPs), nurses, allied health professionals and healthcare assistants. We found many examples of collaborative working arrangements between community hospitals and other health care organisations, including colocation of services, shared workforce with primary care and close collaboration with acute specialists.


CONCLUSIONS
Community hospitals are able to provide a diverse range of services, responding to geographical and health system contexts. Their collaborative nature may be particularly important in the design of future models of care delivery, where emphasis is placed on integration of care with a key focus on patient-centred care.
RAND Europe, Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1YG, United Kingdom.
Eleanor M
0000-0003-1933-0168
EM
Winpenny
RAND Europe, Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1YG, United Kingdom.
Jennie
J
Corbett
RAND Europe, Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1YG, United Kingdom.
Celine
C
Miani
RAND Europe, Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1YG, United Kingdom.
Sarah
S
King
RAND Europe, Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1YG, United Kingdom.
Emma
E
Pitchforth
RAND Europe, Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 1YG, United Kingdom.
Tom
T
Ling
Bournemouth House B112c, 19 Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, BH1 3LH, United Kingdom.
Edwin
E
van Teijlingen
London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, United Kingdom.
Ellen
E
Nolte
community hospital; cottage hospital; health systems; integration; primary care; primary/secondary care interface; service delivery models