Prisma France* : programme d’implantation d’une innovation dans un système de soins et de services aux personnes en perte d’autonomie. Adaptation d’un modèle d’intégration basé sur la gestion de cas

Case management for the elderly with complex needs: cross-linking the views of their role held by elderly people, their informal caregivers and the case managers

Background

In 2009, case management interventions were a new social service in France implemented within the framework of the PRISMA-France program (2006–2010). People who had benefitted from case management intervention were individuals, over 60 years old living at home in situations deemed complex by professionals. Their informal caregivers were also considered as users of the service. This research accompanied the interventions during the implementation of PRISMA-France attempting to explore the users’ (old people and their informal caregivers) and case managers’ first experiences of case management. Its aim is to provide a thorough knowledge of the dispositive in order to reveal any initial failings and to ensure optimum conditions for the onset of full implementation.

Methods

The study had a qualitative explorative design. Cross-linked representations of case-management were obtained through opened-ended and guided interviews with three types of informants: old people (19), their informal caregivers (11) and the case managers (5) who participated in the program during the first 6 months. Thematic analysis of the data was carried out.

Results

The analysis revealed that each group of people generated its own representations of the case manager’s role, even though the three groups of informants shared the idea that the case manager is first and foremost a helper. The case managers insisted on their proximity to the old people and their role as coordinators. The informal caregivers saw the professional as a partner and potential provider of assistance in accompanying old people. The old people focused on the personal connections established with the case manager.

Conclusion

The innovative and experimental dimension of case management in France and the flexible nature of the role generated a broad spectrum of representations by those involved. These different representations are, in part, the fruit of each individual’s projected expectations of this social service.

Analyzing the first representations of the case manager’s role during the implementation phase of the CM service appears as a necessary step before considering the effects of the services. The implementation and the success of a case management model have to be evaluated regarding the previous healthcare context and the expectations of the people involved.

Une réforme globale des soins en santé mentale basée sur une approche communautaire : l’expérience belge

Les évolutions qui ont marqué les soins en santé mentale en Belgique ces dernières années montrent qu’un certain nombre de jalons importants sont d’ores et déjà posés vers la mise en place des soins orientés vers la communauté. Nous vivons, actuellement, en Belgique, un moment que l’on peut qualifier d’historique, tant la réforme qui est proposée est ambitieuse mais aussi complexe.

En effet, on parle d’une réforme globale des soins en santé mentale qui associe dans un même mouvement les compétences fédérales, régionales et communautaires.

Elle a pour but de transformer une partie de l’offrehospitalière en une offre de soins orientée dans lacommunauté par, notamment, la créationd’équipes mobiles qui prendront place dans le dispositifcommunautaire déjà existant.

Dans le même temps, nous développons l’approche opérationnelle du travail en réseau organisé autour des besoins des usagers et de leur entourage.

Dans cet article, nous proposons de décrire le contenu de cette réforme, ses mécanismes et ses acteurs. Nous présentons l’état d’avancement de la phase exploratoire en insistant sur des aspects positifs qui mettent en avant le caractère évolutif de notre démarche mais aussi des difficultés que nous rencontrons dans sa mise en place.

Multidisciplinary teams of case managers in the implementation of an innovative integrated services delivery for the elderly in France

BACKGROUND

The case management process is now well defined, and teams of case managers have been implemented in integrated services delivery. However, little is known about the role played by the team of case managers and the value in having multidisciplinary case management teams. The objectives were to develop a fuller understanding of the role played by the case manager team and identify the value of inter-professional collaboration in multidisciplinary teams during the implementation of an innovative integrated service in France.

METHODS

We conducted a qualitative study with focus groups comprising 14 multidisciplinary teams for a total of 59 case managers, six months after their recruitment to the MAIA program (Maison Autonomie Integration Alzheimer).

RESULTS

Most of the case managers saw themselves as being part of a team of case managers (91.5%). Case management teams help case managers develop a comprehensive understanding of the integration concept, meet the complex needs of elderly people and change their professional practices. Multidisciplinary case management teams add value by helping case managers move from theory to practice, by encouraging them develop a comprehensive clinical vision, and by initiating the interdisciplinary approach.

CONCLUSIONS

The multidisciplinary team of case managers is central to the implementation of case management and helps case managers develop their new role and a core inter-professional competency.

Adapting the Quebecois method for assessing implementation to the French National Alzheimer Plan 2008-2012: lessons for gerontological services integration

INTRODUCTION

Many countries face ageing-related demographic and epidemiological challenges, notably neurodegenerative disorders, due to the multiple care services they require, thereby pleading for a more integrated system of care. The integrated Quebecois method issued from the Programme of Research to Integrate Services for the Maintenance of Autonomy inspired a French pilot experiment and the National Alzheimer Plan 2008-2012. Programme of Research to Integrate Services for the Maintenance of Autonomy method implementation was rated with an evaluation grid adapted to assess its successive degrees of completion.

DISCUSSION

The approaching end of the president's term led to the method's institutionalization (2011-2012), before the implementation study ended. When the government changed, the study was interrupted. The results extracted from that 'lost' study (presented herein) have, nonetheless, 'found' some key lessons.

KEY LESSONS/CONCLUSION

It was possible to implement a Quebecois integrated-care method in France. We describe the lessons and pitfalls encountered in adapting this evaluation tool. This process is necessarily multidisciplinary and requires a test phase. A simple tool for quantitative assessment of integration was obtained. The first assessment of the tool was unsatisfactory but requires further studies. In the meantime, we recommend using mixed methodologies to assess the services integration level.

[Factors facilitating and impairing implementation of integrated care]

BACKGROUND

Better integration of healthcare is the focus of many current reforms in Western countries. The goal is to reduce fragmentation of health and social care delivery for patients with chronic diseases. In France, Alzheimer autonomy integration experimentations (Maison Autonomie Intégration Alzheimer [MAIA]) were introduced as part of the 2008-2012 National Alzheimer Plan. To date, implementation of such organizations remains challenging. It is thus paramount to identify factors obstructing, and on the contrary facilitating, implementation of integrated care.

METHODS

After an in-depth literature review of qualitative studies published from January 1995 to December 2010. We selected 10 qualitative studies on health care professionals' perceptions of barriers and facilitators to the implementation of integrated care.

RESULTS

Barriers and facilitating factors linked to the implementation of integrated care were identified at several levels: leadership; collaboration between services and clinicians; and funding and policy making. The operative strategy applied to change care delivery and the role of the leading pilot are key elements during the implementation phase.

CONCLUSION

Strong leadership and active involvement of a broad spectrum of professionals from clinical practitioners to healthcare managers is crucial for a successful implementation of integrated care services.

Analysis of case management programs for patients with dementia: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

People suffering from dementia are particularly vulnerable to the gaps between the health and social service systems. Case management is a professional field that seeks to fill in these gaps and remedy this fragmentation.

METHODS

We report the results of a systematic literature review of the impact of case management programs on clinical outcomes and the utilization of resources by persons with dementia. We focused on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and attempted to identify the factors that might contribute to greater program efficacy. Because the evaluation methods in these studies varied, we used the effect size method to estimate the magnitude of the statistically significant effects reported.

RESULTS

Our search strategy identified 17 references relating to six RCTs. Four of these six RCTs reported moderately statistically significant effects (effect size, 0.2-0.8) on their primary end point: the clinical outcome in three and resource utilization in one. Two of the RCTs reported weak or no effects (effect size, <0.2) on their primary end point. Because of the wide variety of the end points used, an overall effect size could not be calculated. Parameters that appear to be related to greater case management efficacy are the integration level between the health and social service organizations and the intensity of the case management.

CONCLUSIONS

Integration and case management intensity seem to determine the magnitude of the clinical effects in this new professional field. Further studies are needed to clarify the economic impact.

Ten years of integrated care for the older in France

BACKGROUND

This paper analyzes progress made toward the integration of the French health care system for the older and chronically ill population.

POLICIES

Over the last 10 years, the French health care system has been principally influenced by two competing linkage models that failed to integrate social and health care services: local information and coordination centers, governed by the social field, and the gerontological health networks governed by the health field. In response to this fragmentation, Homes for the Integration and Autonomy for Alzheimer patients (MAIAs) is currently being implemented at experimental sites in the French national Alzheimer plan, using an evidence-based model of integrated care. In addition, the state's reforms recently created regional health agencies (ARSs) by merging seven strategic institutions to manage the overall delivery of care.

CONCLUSION

The French health care system is moving from a linkage-based model to a more integrated care system. We draw some early lessons from these changes, including the importance of national leadership and governance and a change management strategy that uses both top-down and bottom-up approaches to implement these reforms.

Public financial support receipt and non-medical resource utilization in Alzheimer's disease results from the PLASA study

A major health policy objective is to encourage and sustain informal caregiving networks for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). This goal can be reached by providing financial assistance to patients facing difficulties in the accomplishment of activities of daily living, in order to encourage utilization of professional service and therefore alleviate informal caregiver burden. The main issue is to understand if and how financial assistance is correlated with the distribution between informal and professional care. We used a cross-sectional sample of 1131 French elderly patients (≥65) with mild to moderate AD. Informal and professional service resource use was measured in hours per month using a validated instrument, the Resource Use in Dementia questionnaire. Our results confirmed the utter dominance of informal care, which represented more than 80% of total care even among patients receiving public financial support. However financial support receipt was associated with differences in care utilization: higher use of total non-medical care (formal and informal) and lower proportion of informal care in total non-medical care. Our results suggested the presence of a threshold effect that would influence non-medical care demand decisions. Even if on average the use of informal care in total was 13.3% lower among patients receiving public financial support, informal care use represented more than 80% of total non-medical care use. Providing robust evidence of these associations is crucial to further identify the right dosage between professional service demand and informal care utilization that could be associated with a lower burden and therefore a lower probability of institutionalization.

Health professionals, patients and chronic illness policy: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

This study investigates health professionals' reactions to patients' perceptions of health issues - a little-researched topic vital to the reform of the care of chronic illness.

METHODS

Focus groups were undertaken with doctors, nurses, allied health staff and pharmacists (n = 88) in two Australian urban regions. The focus groups explored responses to patient experiences of chronic illness (COPD, Diabetes, CHF) obtained in an earlier qualitative study. Content analysis was undertaken of the transcripts assisted by NVivo7 software.

RESULTS

Health professionals and patients agreed on general themes: that competing demands in self-management, financial pressure and co-morbidity were problems for people with chronic illness. However where patients and carers focused on their personal challenges, health professionals often saw the patient experience as a series of failures relating to compliance or service fragmentation. Some saw this as a result of individual shortcomings. Most identified structural and attitudinal issues. All saw the prime solution as additional resources for their own activities. Fee for service providers (mainly doctors) sought increased remuneration; salaried professionals (mainly nurses and allied health professionals) sought to increase capacity within their professional group.

CONCLUSIONS

Professionals focus on their own resources and the behaviour of other professionals to improve management of chronic illness. They did not factor information from patient experience into their views about systems improvement. This inability to identify solutions beyond their professional sphere highlights the limitations of an over-reliance on the perspectives of health professionals. The views of patients and carers must find a stronger voice in health policy.

The path dependency theory: analytical framework to study institutional integration. The case of France

Background

The literature on integration indicates the need for an enhanced theorization of institutional integration. This article proposes path dependence as an analytical framework to study the systems in which integration takes place.

Purpose

PRISMA proposes a model for integrating health and social care services for older adults. This model was initially tested in Quebec. The PRISMA France study gave us an opportunity to analyze institutional integration in France.

Methods

A qualitative approach was used. Analyses were based on semi-structured interviews with actors of all levels of decision-making, observations of advisory board meetings, and administrative documents.

Results

Our analyses revealed the complexity and fragmentation of institutional integration. The path dependency theory, which analyzes the change capacity of institutions by taking into account their historic structures, allows analysis of this situation. The path dependency to the Bismarckian system and the incomplete reforms of gerontological policies generate the coexistence and juxtaposition of institutional systems. In such a context, no institution has sufficient ability to determine gerontology policy and build institutional integration by itself.

Conclusion

Using path dependence as an analytical framework helps to understand the reasons why institutional integration is critical to organizational and clinical integration, and the complex construction of institutional integration in France.

Is the PRISMA-France glass half-full or half-empty? The emergence and management of polarized views regarding an integrative change process

AIM

The PRISMA-France pilot project is aimed at implementing an innovative case management type integration model in the 20th district of Paris. This paper apprehends the emergence of two polarized views regarding the progression of the model's spread in order to analyze the change management enacted during the process and its effects.

METHOD

A qualitative analysis was conducted based on an institutional change model.

RESULTS

Our results suggest that, according to one view, the path followed to reach the study's current level of progress was efficient and necessary to lay the foundation of a new health and social services system while according to the other, change management shortcomings were responsible for the lack of progress.

DISCUSSION

While neither of these two views appears entirely justified, analyzing the factors underlying their differences pinpoints some of the challenges involved in managing the spread of an integrated service delivery network. Meticulous preparation for the change management role and communication of the time and effort required for a wholesale institutional change process may be significant factors for a successful integrative endeavor.