Chapter 23 Care Coordination, Samhandling and Patient Safety

"This chapter focus on Norwegian healthcare policies and regulations for
care coordination and patient safety. The Norwegian Coordination Reform implemented
in 2012 emphasizes patient engagement, care pathways, and competence
development in municipal healthcare services. Moreover, protocols for division of
work tasks and collaboration between specialist and municipal healthcare services
are key aspects. The reform identifies fragmented health services and the lack of
coordinated care as main challenges. The authors introduce the concepts of care
coordination, continuity of care and patient handovers, and relate these to patient
safety. Results from a Norwegian observational study, identifying factors affecting
care coordination and patient safety in care transitions between hospital and municipal
care, are presented. Finally, the authors introduce relevant measures to improve
care coordination and patient safety, including the regulatory work and follow-up
of health services through nationwide audits performed by the Norwegian Board of
Health Supervision."