Purpose
The purpose of the programme is to support research-based projects within the framework of the existing healthcare system that aim to investigate and uncover conditions that affect the integration of care pathways in the healthcare system as experienced from the perspectives of patients and citizens. In addition, the purpose is to create evidence-based knowledge on how new and optimized patient care processes and solutions can be tested and implemented through research collaborations across the sectors of the Danish health care system.
The programme will focus on pathways with repeated contacts to the healthcare system at all levels, such as for patients with chronic diseases and frequent interaction with the healthcare system. Moreover, there is special focus on collaboration across healthcare sectors with broad involvement of various actors and groups of professionals. This is not a requirement but will be a clear advantage to be able to meet the purpose of the program.
Projects can address such topics as (the list is not exhaustive):
- Coherency and collaboration across sectors in the healthcare system.
- The significance of incentive structures in the healthcare system for integrated treatment and care pathways.
- The coherence in care patients expect from the healthcare system, including the transitions between sectors.
- Developing care pathways with the active involvement of patients and their relatives.
- Implementing knowledge across sectors within the healthcare system.
- Using new technologies and digital solutions that can improve the integration of care pathways.
- The role of civil society in how patients manage chronic diseases.
- Exchanging data and knowledge between actors in the healthcare system – barriers and opportunities.
- Inequity in health and its significance for coherent treatment pathways.
The project may be independent and be limited in time to the project period for this call for applications or may serve as an extension of already initiated projects, e.g., supported through NNF’s call for exploratory studies on integrated care pathways.