Selection of Policy Instruments on Integrated Care in China: Based on Documents Content Analysis.

Xin Yue,Kaining Mu,Lihang Liu

doi:10.3390/ijerph17072327

Abstract

Facing the aggravating trend of an aging population and a fragmented medical service delivery system, the Chinese Central Government has introduced a series of policies to promote the development of integrated care against the background of the “Healthy China Strategy”. The achievement of integrated care depends on the choice of policy instruments. However, few studies have focused on how policy instruments promote the practice of integrated care in China. This article aims to obtain a deeper understanding of the use of policy instruments in the development of integrated care in China. Policy documents are the carriers of policy instruments. National-level integrated care policy documents from 2009 to 2019 were selected. Using the qualitative document analysis method, this paper conducts an analysis of integrated care policy instruments. In order to comprehensively view the integrated care policy instruments, a three-dimensional analytical framework consisting of the policy instruments dimension, stakeholders dimension, and health service supply chains dimension is proposed. The results are as follows. (1) From the perspective of policy instruments, the integrated care policy has adopted supply-side policy instruments, demand-side policy instruments, and environmental policy instruments. Among the three types of policy instruments, environmental policy instruments are used most frequently, supply-side policies are preferred, while demand-side policy instruments are relatively inadequate. (2) As for the stakeholders dimension, the central policy instruments focus on the health service providers, while less attention is paid to the health service demanders. (3) In terms of health service supply chains, the number of policy instruments used in the prevention stage is the highest, followed by the treatment stage, whereas less attention paid to the rehabilitation stage. Finally, suggestions were made for the development of integrated care by better perfecting policy instruments.

Highlights

Enhancing healthcare service efficiency is the common pursuit of all countries
(3) In terms of health service supply chains, the number of policy instruments used in the prevention stage is the highest, followed by the treatment stage, whereas less attention paid to the rehabilitation stage
It clearly shows that the coded references among different sub-policy instruments are different

Summary

Introduction

Enhancing healthcare service efficiency is the common pursuit of all countries. The incoordination care has led to wasted resources, medical errors, an inefficient use of medical resources, and depressing the satisfaction of the patient [1]. As a result, integrated care has been brought onto the health reform agenda of many countries. The conception of “integrated care” was put forward at the end of the 20th century [2,3]. It is based on the idea of providing one-stop health services to meet all the needs of people. A number of studies show that integrated care can improve patient satisfaction, enhance efficiency, and promote quality [4,5,6].

Objectives

Results

Conclusion