Elements Required for Effective Coordination of Care

• The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) said coordinating care is essential for improving quality, effectiveness and efficiency and optimizing health outcomes (McDonald et al., 2007)
• This report identified five common elements required for effective coordination of care:

1. Involvement of a number of participants (the sending and receiving settings, health-care providers, clients, their

families and caregivers, primary care physicians or specialists);

2. Participants interdependency to carry out different activities for care coordination;

3. Participants knowledge of roles and responsibilities in the coordination of care processes, and available resources;

4. Information exchange to manage the activities required for client care; and

5. Facilitation of appropriate delivery of health-care services as a common goal