Answer the questions in Bold - Essay Example

Service Delivery Across the Continuum of Care Here Here Here Here Service Delivery Across the Continuum of Care Healthcare delivery has evolved over time to include many complimentary parts. When these services are arranged in a logical progression based on the typical order of patient engagement, the result is called the "continuum of care" (Grinnell). The first step in the process actually precedes the development of an ailment. This positioning is a necessity, as the service level focuses on the prevention of health problems that would require the use of further system resources.

To maximize the effectiveness of this level, preventative, condition-specific measures are combined with general health promotion. However, the deterrence of illness and injury, no matter how advanced, is unlikely to result in the total elimination of the need for further care. Where prevention is unsuccessful or not possible, the second step in the continuum is primary care. This is perhaps the most utilized part of the system, perhaps even overused, as people seek counsel at local doctors offices, and through other first-contact medical providers in their community.

A large number of interactions at this level result in the satiation of the patients immediate healthcare concerns, eliminating the need to seek further types of care. When further treatment is required, secondary care services act as the next level in the continuum of care. Acute hospital services like emergency room visits, as well as appointments with specialists (that often require referrals from a primary provider) such as psychiatrists, and cardiologists. Tertiary care takes place when specialists and/or special hospitals (burn centers for example) are involved with inpatient care.

Intensive rehabilitation services, and long-term inpatient care represent the next two continuum levels, respectively. The final stage in the continuum of care is comprised of end-of-life services such as hospices and palliative care treatments. As would be expected, comfort of the patient is the primary focus at the end of the healthcare continuum. Like any service, the success of delivering healthcare with consistently high quality across the continuum does not come without challenges. One of the most impactful determinants of care effectiveness is the geographic location of the population under study.

As is the case with most industries, central hubs of operations tend to be placed in most populated areas (now commonly in the form of cities). While this approach is reasonable from a statistical perspective, the fact remains that this trend threatens rural populations with the unavailability of a sufficient continuum of care services (Hsia & Shen, 2011). Expecting people to regularly travel large distances in search of the appropriate care is simply an unacceptable standard. Another obvious influence on service delivery is the cost of healthcare.

This factor is related to geographic location, as the most populated areas are often also the economic centers of their region. As a result, more money is available in the community to be spent on healthcare services throughout the continuum of care. Managers have a fiduciary duty to financial stakeholders in healthcare organizations, creating a conflict that further removes poorer rural communities from the attention of many providers. Even in situations where services associated with the continuum of care are readily available, and regularly used, there is still a serious challenge in optimizing the process.

Each stage of care can be delivered with the highest quality, but patient outcomes will suffer if the services are not properly integrated. The continuum of care is defined by continuity as well as content, resulting in a collapse of structure when timely care is not provided, and/or information is not efficiently communicated between professionals at each level of service. Unfortunately, the scope of healthcare is too large to expect a singular solution to integration (Armitage et al., 2009), and so this issue needs to be examined at every stage of the communication process.

ReferencesArmitage, G. D., Suter, E., Oelke, N. D., & Adair, C. E. (2009). Health systems integration: state of the evidence. International Journal of Integrated Care, 9.Grinnell Regional Medical Center. (n.d.). Grinnell Regional Medical Center. Retrieved February 3, 2013, from http://www.grmc.us/Hsia, R., & Shen, Y. C. (2011). Possible geographical barriers to trauma center access for vulnerable patients in the United States: an analysis of urban and rural communities. Archives of Surgery, 146(1), 46.