Is choice of care compatible with integrated health care? An exploratory study in Sweden
Author
Summary, in English
Competitive and integrative policy actions are simultaneously being promoted in Swedish primary care; citizens' choice of care is launched while primary care is expected to integrate its activities with other providers for the creation of local health care. Competition tends, however, to fragment the provision of services. The aim of this study is, accordingly, to explore whether or not these policies are compatible in practice. For this purpose, strategically designed group interviews were conducted with citizens. When citizens make active choices, they are under the influence of self-perceived conditions: that is, the accessibility of the care, its continuity and the treatment offered by the care provider, conditions which, in turn, have a lot in common with the guiding principles of local health care. On the other hand, citizens who choose passively, because of not being in contact with primary care, have no difficulties in being disloyal to the chosen unit when becoming patients. In doing so, they also contribute to the fragmentation of local health care. Making entirely free choices when it comes to primary care seems to be incompatible with local health care. However, choice of care only partly equals the conditions of free choice. Choice of care and local health care would thus seem to be compatible, in practice, for the majority of patients. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Department/s
Publishing year
2012
Language
English
Pages
162-172
Publication/Series
International Journal of Health Planning and Management
Volume
27
Issue
3
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
Topic
- Health Care Service and Management, Health Policy and Services and Health Economy
Keywords
- choice of care
- competition
- integrated health care
- group interviews
- Sweden
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 1099-1751