Table 1 Defining continuity of care arr. Freeman et al. (2000) and (2002)
Dimensions of continuity of care | Definition |
|---|---|
Relational, personal, therapeutic continuity | ‘Providing one or more individual professionals with whom the service user can establish/maintain a consistent therapeutic relationship’ |
Information continuity | ‘Effective communication based on excellent information transfer following the service user’ |
Flexible continuity | Adjusting to the needs of the individual over time |
Cross boundary, team continuity | Effective co-ordination of services by teams/external agencies |
Long term continuity | ‘Provision of uninterrupted care as long as the service user requires it’ |
Longitudinal continuity | Care by ‘as few professionals as possible’ based on need |