A review of the Care Coordination Mechanisms used in Integrated Care Interventions to deliver care across sectors for community-dwelling older people

Objectives: The literature is abundant with descriptive and evaluative research on single integrated care interventions (ICIs) for older people [1-5]. This review uses a conceptual framework on care coordination to gather and analyse ICIs, to deliver a succinct overview of the ICIs available, and the design of their care coordination mechanisms. Methods: The authors examined the literature systematically by searching key electronic databases using search terms care coordination older people, integrated care older people and case management older people', and hand searching high-yield journals. Literature was examined using the Care Coordination Measure Mapping Table [6] to describe the specific elements of each ICI design. Results: There is great variability in the overall design of ICIs. However, there is commonality in the goal to better coordinate care across settings. The review found the two main mechanisms used to coordinate care were a designated care coordinator role, and an integrated care pathway for older people. Conclusion: While there were two common care coordination mechanisms; most reports lacked in-depth detail on care coordination mechanisms. This limits understanding of the design and functioning of ICIs, and hampers ability to link processes to outcomes. We recommend future research uses a common conceptual framework on coordinated care to describe mechanisms.