Research project – ACCORD

Appropriate measure of Care-Coordination for patients with Multiple Long-Term Conditions

Care coordination is the organisation of care across different professionals and providers. It is vital for improving patient outcomes, experiences and the efficiency of health and care systems.

It is especially difficult for people with Multiple Long-Term Conditions (MLTC), as their care is often managed across different providers across health and social care.

Frequent appointments can be challenging due to symptoms like pain or mobility issues. Social factors, such as low income or poor health literacy, add further barriers.

People may struggle to afford care, take time off work or understand their options. Some ethnic groups also face language barriers and a lack of culturally sensitive care. And while technology can support coordination, it can also increase inequalities due to digital exclusion.

Although key parts of care coordination are known, such as communication, teamwork and follow-up, there is no standard way to measure it in the UK. This study looks to explore this.

Project lead: Dr Felicity Dewhurst, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, St Oswald’s Hospice.

NIHR

Jan 2025 –

Aim:

To explore how coordination of care for people with MLTC should be measured.

Objectives:

  1. To complete a scoping review of the literature to identify potential domains and items for a measure of care coordination suitable for MLTC.
  2. To establish consensus on potential domains and items to include, taking account of the contemporary health and care systems context, using Nominal Group Technique (NGT) methods, and supporting face validity of the proposed measure.
  3. To assess feasibility of operationalising the proposed measure using routinely available health and social care data, to complete Item and Scale development.

Evidence Synthesis and Stakeholder Engagement and Consensus Building