Effectiveness of Healthcare Coordination in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Challenges in Implementing Integrated Care in Central and Eastern Europe - Experience of Poland

During their transition, Central and Eastern European countries’ health and social care systems have undergone significant changes, and are currently dealing with serious problems of disintegration, coordination, and a lack of control over the market environment, especially for meeting patients’ needs. The increased health and social needs related to the ageing society and epidemiological patterns in these countries also require increased funding, reformation of rationing, sectors to be integrated (the managed care approach), and the development of an analytical information base for surveillance of new health and social care solutions.

Unmet Needs and Pro-health Behavior in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Coordinated healthcare paradigm addressing the biopsychosocial spheres of patients seems advantageous for the management of chronic diseases. The purpose of the study was to determine the influence of unmet needs on pro-health behavior in chronic respiratory diseases and to recognize the factors that help identify the unmet needs. The patients were asked to complete the Camberwell Assessment of Needs Inventory and the Health Behavior Inventory. The study group consisted of 171 adult patients with chronic respiratory diseases. The study participants were recruited from among the patients of 130 general practitioners between July 2011 and March 2016. The findings of this study indicate that any prevention program should focus on increasing the level of satisfied needs in patients with chronic respiratory diseases. For the most effective treatment, fragmented and disease-focused processes should be replaced by integrated health and social care. We conclude that the treatment process that involves interdisciplinary clinical approach, which, aside from the physical treatment, could recognize and address the psychological aspects of unmet needs would be conducive to undertake pro-health behavior by pulmonary patients.